Traditions
by TitansRule
Summary: Set a few months after Caroline and Tyler come to a decision and deal with the consequences, Katherine and Elena confirm a cover story, and plans have to be made after Stefan asks a very important question ... Stelena, Datherine, Beremy, beginnings of Mabekah, Klaroline and Tyler/Hayley
1. Chapter 1

**AN: If you're a Kalijah fan, be warned. Be warned anyway, it's a Datherine fic, but I do completely sink that ship in this chapter.**

* * *

If they were going to be honest, no one was expecting the situation at the Salvatore boarding house to remain peaceful for long.

Now that peace had descended on Mystic Falls, it would be fair to assume that the reconciliation between Damon and Stefan would not last … but it had.

It would also be fair to assume that the civil relations between Katherine and Elena would dissolve within weeks, but amazingly, that hadn't happened either.

Of course, peace did not mean that nothing had been happening.

First of all, Katherine's existence needed to be explained away to the general public of Mystic Falls. Several suggestions had been thrown around and subsequently dropped, including Damon's suggestion that they compel the entire town (which Elena had shot down before he'd even finished the sentence).

Eventually, Katherine had taken matters into her own hands, giving Elena no warning whatsoever, although she did give Matt a split-second to prepare …

* * *

_It wasn't a common thing for Matt to answer his cell phone while working, but the Grill was pretty quiet, despite the large crowd for a Thursday morning – most, with the exception of his own friends, who were ensconced in a booth in the corner, sat and nursed their drinks for most of the morning while they chatted (gossiped) about town news (Thursday was the day the local newspaper came out, so a lot of people gathered to discuss it)._

_With Mystic Falls High empty for the Christmas vacation, Matt wished he could join his friends, but with the bank still knocking on his door for the mortgage, he had to get the money somehow. He supposed he could appeal, given that his mother disappeared on them before he came of age, but he'd still had Vicki, however irresponsible she'd been, and as angry as he was with his mother, he still loved her._

_In any case, when his phone rang three times in quick succession, he found himself answering it, only to hear a very familiar voice on the other end._

_But Elena was sitting across the room, laughing at something Caroline had said, no phone in sight._

_"What do you want?" Matt asked quietly, debating whether to catch their attention._

_"A favour." Katherine answered. "Nothing big. Just a piece of acting when I walk in in a minute."_

_Matt rolled his eyes. "Elena's here, you know. And this place isn't exactly empty. You'll turn heads; Elena's not exactly a nobody in this town."_

_"That's what I'm counting on." Katherine said. "I just need you to pretend you've never seen me before and act confused that there are two of her."_

_Matt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Fine." He caught sight of one of his neighbours approaching the bar. "Sorry, pal – I think you've got a wrong number."_

_"Thank you."_

_Matt hung up the phone, shaking his head. "Kept asking for Jamal, whoever that is. How are you, Mrs Beech?"_

_"Fine, thank you, Matty." She answered, her eyes skimming the drinks list above his head. "Now what shall I have …?"_

_"Nice glass of scotch?" Matt joked, knowing she was teetotal._

_Mrs Beech tittered. "Oh, you are a funny boy – you're looking after yourself, aren't you?"_

_Matt nodded with a smile. "Of course, Mrs Beech. And Liz – er, Sherriff Forbes looks in every now and then."_

_"Yes, I've seen her." Mrs Beech nodded decisively. "Tall latte, extra foam."_

_"Coming right up." Matt said, reaching under the bar for a mug._

_The door to the Grill opened again, and he glanced up to see Katherine walk in, looking uncharacteristically nervous. Remembering what she'd said, his jaw dropped, his eyes flickering over to Elena as if to make sure she was still there._

_Mrs Beech turned to see what had caught his attention. "You know, I really think Elena should wear her hair natural more often. It's such a shame when these girls insist on …"_

_"Er, Mrs Beech?" Matt interrupted. "Elena's over there. With Caroline and Tyler."_

_Mrs Beech frowned. "So she is. But …"_

_"Excuse me." Katherine said softly, as she reached the bar. "I wonder if you could help me."_

_"Erm … I can try." Matt said, his eyes flickering to Elena again. "I'm sorry, but you … you remind me of someone. Just one second." He finished Mrs Beech's coffee, and she took it over to a group of women._

_Unseen by the rest of the patrons, Katherine's eyes gleamed with amusement for a second, as the bar began to fall silent in a kind of domino effect._

_"I'm looking for Elena Gilbert."_

_"Over there." Matt said, pointing towards his friends._

_Ironically, since she was the only one present without supernatural senses, it was Bonnie who first realised there was something wrong._

_"Why's it so quiet?" She hissed._

_Elena glanced up, colour promptly draining from her face when she saw Katherine approaching them. "What are you doing here?" She muttered under her breath._

_"Play along." Katherine returned, stopping in front of her. "Elena?" She asked aloud._

_"Yes?" Elena asked, still looking shell-shocked._

_Her doppelganger held a hand out. "I'm Katherine. I think – well, I'm fairly sure now I've seen you, but … I'm your sister."_

* * *

Elena had to admit later – Katherine had thought it through. The story went that Elena's biological mother had given birth to twins, but could only afford to keep one of them and begged the doctor who had delivered them to keep one and raise her with his wife.

That part wasn't too far from the truth, and the patrons of the Grill, shamelessly eavesdropping, had listened enraptured as Katherine spun a heart-breaking tale of a house-fire, rushing to her mother's bedside at the hospital, and her mother telling her, with her dying breath, about the sister she never knew.

Even Caroline, who knew the story wasn't true, had tears in her eyes by the time Katherine had finished.

Of course, in a few years, when the vampires would be forced to leave Mystic Falls to hide the fact that they weren't aging, none of it would matter, but for now, it just made everything so much simpler.

Then, a few days into the New Year, they received an unexpected visitor …

* * *

_"Elijah." Elena greeted in surprise. "What brings you back to Mystic Falls?"_

_"Several rumours, Elena." Elijah answered, impeccably dressed in a suit as always. "May I come in?"_

_"Of course." Elena stepped back to let him into the boarding house, glancing towards the ceiling almost automatically. She knew Stefan was out hunting, but she wasn't sure where Damon and Katherine were. Showing him into the living room, she gestured to the couch. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Blood?"_

_"No, thank you." Elijah took a seat, glancing at her. "But I sense that the first rumour is true. You're a vampire."_

_"Yes." Elena confirmed, perching on the arm of one of the armchairs. "Rebekah caused a car accident when we thought Klaus was dead. I had Damon's blood in my veins."_

_"And my brother has called a truce?" Elijah asked._

_Elena nodded. "Said he wanted peace. It seems to be working so far."_

_"And," Elijah hesitated, and, for the first time Elena could remember, he looked almost nervous. "And he's let Katerina go?"_

_Elena frowned slightly. "Yes."_

_"Do you know where she is?" Elijah asked._

_Elena hesitated. "That depends. What do you want with her?"_

_"Just to talk." Elijah answered._

_Elena nodded slowly. "I'll see if I can find her." She walked upstairs to Damon and Katherine's room and paused outside, listening carefully. There were sounds of movement, but nothing that suggested anything R-rated, so she tapped once and pushed the door open._

_Katherine was sitting at the desk, writing something, but looked up when Elena entered._

_Putting a warning finger to her lips, Elena nodded towards the bathroom._

_A confused frown crossed Katherine's face but she acquiesced, following Elena into the bathroom and switching on the shower to drown out their voices._

_"Elijah's downstairs." Elena said softly. "He wants to talk to you. What do you want me to do?"_

_Katherine closed her eyes, her lips moving in what could have been a silent prayer, if Elena didn't know that Katherine wasn't religious – at least, not anymore; she may have been as a human for all Elena knew._

_"Find Damon and distract him." Katherine answered, opening her eyes. "I'll fill him in later, but I don't really need him running his mouth."_

_Elena nodded, switching the shower off, and they descended the stairs. "Where is Damon?"_

_"Out with Stefan." Katherine answered, nodding towards the kitchen. "Try and keep him away from the house for at least half an hour."_

_Elijah stood when she entered the room, but she crossed to one of the cabinets and rooted around for a couple of seconds, extracting a bottle of scotch she knew Damon had hidden there._

_"Given the circumstances, I think he'll forgive me." She remarked, pouring herself a glass. "Want one?"_

_"No, thank you." Elijah answered. "A little early, isn't it?"_

_Katherine chuckled humourlessly. "Something tells me I'll need it. Besides," she added, taking a seat across from him, "it's five o'clock somewhere."_

_"I hear my brother granted you your freedom." Elijah said, ignoring her smile._

_"He did." Katherine confirmed cautiously. "More to avoid conflict, I think, than out of actual forgiveness, but I'm grateful for it, whatever the reason." She frowned. "Something tells me you're not, given the tomb incident."_

_"On the contrary, Katerina, I find it a great relief that my brother can let go of some of the hatred that he has been carrying around for so long."_

_Katherine grimaced. "You know, I haven't been Katerina in a long time."_

_"Yes." Elijah agreed. "I'd noticed."_

_"Yet you and your brother insist on calling me that." Katherine remarked._

_"You will always be Katerina to me." Elijah said softly. "It worries me that you have changed so much."_

_Katherine raised an eyebrow. "I'm not that person anymore. I changed my name for a reason, Elijah, and it wasn't to hide from you and Klaus. I'm not stupid enough to think that would work."_

_"But you were stupid enough to betray us." Elijah added mildly._

_"And how, pray tell, did I do that?" Katherine asked. "Klaus was trying to kill me. I hardly see saving my own life as a 'betrayal'."_

_"I risked a great deal informing you about what my brother was planning." Elijah told her sharply._

_"It wasn't just your brother." Katherine pointed out icily. "Thank you so much for informing me that you were planning my murder, and I'm so sorry that my instinctual reaction was to run like hell."_

_"I had a plan to save you." Elijah reminded her. "The elixir …"_

_"And when did you come up with that plan?" Katherine asked._

_"When I fell in love with you." Elijah answered softly. "It's one of the reasons I still pray that my Katerina is still in there somewhere."_

_"Your Katerina?" Katherine repeated. "Let's just look at what happened from my point of view for a second, shall we?" She wouldn't normally, but part of her had been dying to say this for 518 years. "I came to England – a country where I didn't know the language, or the culture, or the people – having been forced to give up my child, cast aside by her father like a used rag-doll and disowned by my parents. I had lost everyone I cared about, most of them because they had abandoned or betrayed me. I was beginning to wonder if love and compassion and selflessness," she laughed bitterly, "everything I'd been raised to cherish was even worth anything in this world. And then I met you. And you gave me hope that it was. And bit by bit, you broke down the walls I'd built and I began to trust you, and I let myself begin to fall, and then …" She smirked humourlessly, taking a kind of sadistic pleasure in the way his face had paled slightly. "Then I found out the truth. Of course I ran. I'd just had it confirmed for me that you can't rely on anything in this world but yourself, that if I didn't put myself first no one would." She stood up, hearing the back door open. "Katerina is dead, Elijah. You killed her. Let her go."_

_Damon met her in the hallway, Elena mouthing an apology over his shoulder._

_Katherine shook her head slightly, smiling at Damon. "Good hunt?"_

_Damon grimaced. "I don't know how Stefan can do that. Hunting humans seems so much more … humane. At least they can fight back."_

_"Not the way you do it." Elena muttered, slipping past them into the living room._

_"What's Elijah doing here?" Damon asked quietly._

_Katherine shook her head, pulling him down for a kiss. "Don't ask, love. Just don't ask."_

* * *

Elijah had left quietly after that. Elena had apologised for whatever had happened, but he had brushed her off.

_"Is she happy?" _He had asked.

Elena had hesitated, debating whether or not to be truthful. She had always assumed that Elijah hated Katherine as much as Klaus did, but looking at him then, she had wondered if maybe his sense of betrayal had been a little more personal. _"I think so."_

Elijah had nodded. _"Good." _Then he was gone, before Elena could really figure out how to respond.

In any case, Elijah hadn't been heard from since, although Klaus and Rebekah were still in town, and Kol reappeared every so often, deigned to put up with blood bags for a week, maybe two, and then disappeared as suddenly as he'd arrived.

All the vampires who chose human blood as a diet had to rely on blood-bags now, at least if they wanted to stay in Mystic Falls.

Connor Jordan's presence – though brief – had ruffled feathers, and whispers of vampires in the community were louder than ever. Liz and Carole had tried their best to calm the frightened locals, laughing the whispers off as delusions and citing the fact that the hunter's body had been found mauled by wolves as evidence that maybe he hadn't been the smartest of people in the first place – after all, the wolves' territory was surrounded by a large number of cautionary warnings for hikers and campers.

However, just to add an extra level of security, having discussed it with the local supernaturals, vervain had duly been added to the town's water supply.

The only inconvenience this had really caused (aside from the need to travel out of town to procure blood-bags, since there was every chance the donors were on vervain) was that Caroline and Elena could no longer shower in their own houses.

Mikaelson Manor had its own water supply, as did the boarding house and the Lockwood estate, but the Gilbert and Forbes residences relied on the same water as everyone else.

Caroline coped with this by turning up at the boarding house every other day and borrowing the spare bathroom.

Elena had wound up coping in a slightly different way. After spending so much time at the boarding house anyway, she had begun to consider just moving in permanently. She would have already done so if it weren't for Jeremy.

Jeremy, after watching her debate this for several weeks, took matters in to his own hands and asked Matt to take the spare bedroom.

("Us humans have to stick together," he'd joked, "and Elena would kill me if I moved in with Bonnie.")

Matt had argued at first, but caved quickly. It made sense.

The Gilbert's house had been in the family for years, and the mortgage had long since been paid off, whereas Matt was drowning in unpaid bills. His mother had long-since signed the house over to her children, so he had no trouble selling it and moving his few possessions into what had once been Jenna's room.

It had been a long time since Matt had had any emotional connection to the house; the only sticking point was packing up what was left of Vicki's belongings. Although he had insisted he wanted to do it alone, Tyler and Jeremy turned up with pizza and the three had reminisced into the night.

So Matt and Jeremy had taken over the Gilbert home and Elena had moved into the boarding house, eliciting a promise that Matt would make sure Jeremy ate properly and slept regularly.

Life in the boarding house was fairly quiet now (well, as quiet as it _could_ be with four vampires, two couples with heightened emotions – and high sex drives – and very thin walls).

The only point of friction was Katherine and Stefan, but even that wasn't too bad.

Stefan still didn't feel remotely comfortable around Katherine, and Katherine seemed to be going out of her way to make sure the boat wasn't rocked, so to speak, so at first went out of her way to make sure that Stefan didn't have to be around her alone.

After two months, she stopped, although didn't actively seek him out, but as she stopped, he began to avoid.

This morning, something was different.

Stefan woke first, lulled gently to alertness by the sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtains, Elena's head resting on his chest, shallow breaths ghosting over his skin.

Pressing a kiss to her hair, he tuned in to the sounds around him, the distant traffic on the other side of the trees; the few deer that had ventured out of the woods in the early light to graze on the lawn; the movement in the kitchen below him as Katherine made breakfast, humming to herself.

He had never pictured Katherine cooking before now. Even when they were human and he was enchanted with the very idea of her, the thought of her doing anything domestic was laughable.

But, like Damon (though he would never admit it), cooking didn't seem to be a chore to her – rather, a joy, even though none of the residents needed food.

There was no sign of his brother, not even breathing, which meant he was either still asleep or out of the house altogether.

Usually, in this situation, Stefan would wait for Elena to wake up, unwilling and unprepared to go downstairs and deal with Katherine – even if (maybe even especially if) dealing with Katherine now meant small talk and somewhat awkward silences.

But today was an important day, even if Elena hadn't remembered (and it was unlikely that she would, not because she had a bad memory for dates, but because it probably didn't carry the same weight for her as it did for him).

It was March 5th and a year to the day that Mason Lockwood nearly managed to get him and Damon killed by Liz and her deputies.

A year to the day that Caroline had intentionally killed to save them.

A year to the day that Stefan finally admitted that he just wasn't strong enough without human blood.

But most importantly to Stefan, it was a year to the day that Elena had stood in the Salvatore library, her blood pooled in her hand, offering more of herself than he would ever dare take, the first time he had consciously and willingly drunk her blood.

Drinking Elena's blood was something of a contradiction in itself – on the one hand, she was the only person Stefan was certain that not even the blood-lust would allow him to hurt; on the other, her blood tasted so divine that it was a wonder he kept a clear head around her at all.

_"It's you and me, Stefan." _She'd said softly. _"Always."_

'Always' had seemed a bit of a pipe-dream at the time, but not anymore.

Over the last week or so, he had formed a plan, one he would never have carried out (not yet, anyway) if she was still human. As it was, today was the perfect day for it, with just one small problem.

The Gilbert lake house was somewhat pivotal to the plan, and Elena happened to be planning on driving out there to finish packing up her parents' belongings.

Stefan needed a way of keeping Elena in Mystic Falls without staying in Mystic Falls himself. Bonnie, he knew, had plans with Jeremy, Matt was working, Tyler was helping his mother with something, Caroline would never be able to keep a secret, and Elena could read Damon like a book; she'd figure out that something was up.

There was only one thing for it.

Gently easing Elena out of his arms, Stefan got up, retrieving a shirt from his closet before walking downstairs, pulling it over his head as he went.

Sure enough, Katherine was alone when he reached the kitchen, sitting at the table with a mug of warm blood and a book.

"There's rabbit in the microwave." She said by way of greeting, not looking up.

"Thanks." Stefan said automatically, retrieving it. He took a sip and dropped into one of the chairs at the other end of the table.

Katherine glanced up, a hint of surprise showing on her face. "Elena still asleep?"

"She sleeps like the dead." Stefan responded.

Katherine sniggered. "No pun intended, right?"

Stefan cracked a smile, realising what he'd said. "Actually, no." He took another sip of blood. "What are you doing today?"

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Stefan, this is the first conversation we've had in months. What are you thinking?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "Nothing like that." He sighed. "I never thought I'd say this, but … I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

When Elena woke an hour later, she was a little surprised to discover herself alone, though not completely put out.

Stefan had vaguely mentioned the day before that he had a few things to 'see to', and, sure enough, when she got up, there was a note sitting on the nightstand, a soft purple flower lying on top of it.

_Elena,_

_Thought I'd get started on some of those errands I need to run – you looked so peaceful, I didn't have the heart to wake you._

_I love you,_

_Stefan_

A soft smile crossed her face and she picked up the flower, tucking it behind her ear and fastening it there with a hair grip.

When she got downstairs, the kitchen was empty and she retrieved a blood bag from the refrigerator, tipping it into a mug and setting it in the microwave for a few minutes.

"Morning."

Elena glanced over her shoulder. "Morning, Katherine."

"Did something happen yesterday?" Katherine asked.

Elena took a sip of blood, frowning. "Not to my knowledge, why?"

Katherine shrugged. "Not like the boys to both sleep in. One of them, maybe, but not both."

"Oh, Stefan's already out." Elena said. "Had some errands to run."

"Ah, that makes sense." Katherine said. "All is right with the world again."

Elena chuckled. It was certainly true that the Salvatore brothers tended to rise with the sun.

"What are you doing today?" Katherine added.

"I've still got to pack up Mom and Dad's stuff at the lake-house." Elena answered reluctantly. "I'm fed up with crying every time I go there."

"Does that have to be today?" Katherine asked. "I was thinking of going shopping."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "And …?"

"And I thought, since we're supposed to be sisters, it would be nice if we both went." Katherine elaborated.

Elena frowned slightly. "We don't really do the 'girl bonding' thing, Katherine. And I really do need to pack up the lake-house."

Katherine shrugged. "Do it tomorrow. Come on, Elena, my wardrobe is depressing. I mean, have you seen what I'm wearing now?"

"Yes." Elena answered flatly. "It's mine."

Katherine glanced down at her outfit. "Come on, Elena, _your_ wardrobe is depressing."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Not the most convincing argument, Kat."

"We're taking Damon's credit card." Katherine said coaxingly.

"Excuse me?" Damon's voice asked from the hallway.

"Katherine's trying to bribe me into going shopping with her using your credit card." Elena explained.

Damon leaned against the kitchen doorway, still shirtless and sleep-ruffled. "You are _not _taking my credit card, Katherine. I know what you're like shopping and I know what she's like shopping. Not happening."

Katherine sighed, slipping her cell phone out of her pocket and checking it. "Come on, Damon; I've been on the run for five hundred years and I still haven't made up for it. I promise to buy at least _one_ thing for your eyes only."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "Ten."

"Two."

"Eight."

"Four."

"Six."

"Fine." Katherine agreed.

Damon shrugged. "Still not happening." His phone buzzed and he retrieved it, reading the message with raised eyebrows. "Oh … Alright then."

"Thank …"

"Okay!" Elena interrupted. "What's going on?"

"What makes you think something's going on?" Damon asked, handing Katherine his credit card. "Try not to bankrupt me."

"Because Katherine just texted you." Elena said. "And whatever she said just convinced you to give us your credit card."

Damon smirked. "Just providing me with a little extra incentive." He tweaked a strand of Katherine's hair affectionately. "Be glad she didn't say it out loud."

"No, because Katherine _would_ have said something like that out loud." Elena said suspiciously. "Are you two planning something?"

Damon sighed. "No, but …"

"Damon …" Katherine said warningly.

"She's gonna find out eventually." Damon pointed out. "Barbie can hardly keep a secret."

Katherine almost relaxed, but managed to keep the displeased expression on her face. "Fine."

"Caroline wants to throw you a 'funeral'." Damon explained, rolling his eyes. "Something about how she wants it before your birthday, so you can actually enjoy your birthday, because she didn't … I wasn't really paying attention." He scowled. "Don't you dare tell her I told you – if Barbie finds out I slipped, I will never hear the end of it."

"She wants you to find something to wear without spoiling the surprise." Katherine continued, when Elena nodded in agreement. "You know she'd break in ten minutes."

"Alright." Elena conceded. "Let me just go and get my jacket."

As Elena left the kitchen, Damon emptied the refrigerator of fruit and dropped it all into the blender.

"What's that for?" Katherine asked.

Damon switched the blender on. "An excuse for when she gets back. It's all starting to go off anyway. Thanks for the warning." He added sarcastically.

"I only found out this morning." Katherine said. "Stefan asked me to keep her away from the lake-house. And you wouldn't have needed to come up with an excuse if you had any subtlety whatsoever. You could have at least pretended to argue for a few more minutes."

"I'd already shot down the 'my eyes only' argument." Damon pointed out. "Nothing else was going to work."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You're calling Caroline and warning her though. _Don't_ tell her what Stefan's planning, just make sure that she tries to keep the party a secret from Elena if we see her."

Damon frowned. "I'm going to assume that makes sense."

"Caroline will understand." Katherine said, slipping his card into her purse. "It's a female thing."

"Of course it is." Damon muttered, turning off the blender and emptying it into two bottles. "Don't eat each other."

Katherine sighed. "Oh, Damon, you know I prefer my meals a little less …"

"Incestuous?" Damon suggested.

"Dead." Katherine corrected. "Although, now you mention it, you've got a point."

"Ready!" Elena called, jogging down the stairs.

Damon handed Katherine the bottles. "Have fun."

"Oh, I will." Katherine smirked, kissing him quickly.

Damon sighed as the front door slammed. "I can practically hear my bank account emptying. He owes me."

* * *

"Fair warning, Elena," Katherine murmured, "the next person who comments on how alike we look is becoming dinner."

The two girls were sitting in the food court at the Mystic Falls mall, sharing a plate of fries (half covered in tomato sauce for Katherine, half drizzled with barbecue sauce for Elena), having stopped for a lunch break.

Katherine's remark came after the eighth time they were approached by one of the local residents, all of whom seemed completely in awe of how similar the two looked.

"You can't eat them, Kat." Elena said flatly. "They're all on vervain, remember?"

Katherine sniggered. "That's the only reason you can come up with?"

"Well, it is getting annoying." Elena conceded. "I don't know what they think 'identical' means. But this is the first time we've really been seen in public together, Kat, and they've spend my entire life with just one of me."

"Do you find it weird?" Katherine asked, stealing a fry from the other side of the plate.

"The fact that you can't stand barbecue sauce on fries, but you just took one anyway?" Elena asked mildly, stealing a ketchup-drenched one to even things up.

"Well, that whole concept is weird." Katherine said with a grimace. "Barbecue sauce belongs on meat and nothing else."

"Then why did you do that?" Elena asked.

"I have no idea." Katherine admitted. "That wasn't what I meant anyway. Don't you find it weird that you call me Kat when it used to be Stefan's pet-name for me so to speak?"

Elena shrugged. "If I thought about it, I'd find it weird that I'm dating my great grandmother's ex-boyfriend. I try not to think too hard about it to be honest."

Katherine considered this for a second. "Touché. Your phone's going off."

"I know." Elena said. "I never answer my phone when I'm talking to someone. Mom always drilled it into me that it's rude."

"Well, as your great grandmother," Katherine pulled a face, "I'm overruling."

Elena laughed, pulling her cell phone from her pocket. "Hello?"

_"Hey sweetheart. How's the packing going?"_

Elena smiled sheepishly. "It's not. Katherine dragged me shopping instead."

_"I'm not sure whether to laugh or worry." _Stefan said frankly.

"No one's dead." Katherine said from across the table. "I'd call that a success."

"Can you at least try not to eavesdrop?" Elena asked.

Katherine thought for a second. "No."

Elena rolled her eyes, but didn't bother taking any measures to stop her. "Relax, Stefan. I'll keep an eye on her. Did you get any further with your to-do list than I did?"

_"All sorted." _Stefan answered. _"Do you want to have dinner tonight?"_

Elena smiled. "You mean an actual date where no one's trying to kill us and I'm not acting as bait?"

_"Yeah, remember what they were like?" _Stefan quipped, before sighing. _"Sad thing is, we're not joking."_

Elena's smile softened. "Well, things are different now. Dinner sounds wonderful – where are we going?"

_"Now that would take all the fun out of it, wouldn't it?"_

"You're not going to tell me." Elena guessed. "Can you at least tell me what I should wear?"

_"Whatever you feel like, sweetheart." _Stefan answered. _"You okay to leave at 5.30?"_

"Yeah, we'll be done by then." Elena said. "I love you."

_"I love you too. See you later."_

"Bye." Elena hung up and tucked her cell phone back in her pocket. "Whatever I feel like. Could he be any less helpful?"

"That's men for you." Katherine said, rolling her eyes. "They never change. What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know." Elena admitted. "If we were going somewhere really fancy, he'd have warned me, so … I think all the dresses I have are a bit too much, you know?"

Katherine sighed. "Well, there's only one thing for it." She said sombrely. "You'll just have to buy something new."

"You're right." Elena conceded in mock sadness. "I've simply got no choice."

"It's a difficult life, isn't it?" Katherine asked innocently, stealing another one of Elena's fries.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Elena asked in amusement.

Katherine sighed. "I have no idea."

At 5.30 that evening, Elena appeared in the doorway of the living room. "Ready."

"You see, that's what I like about you, Elena." Damon said, without turning round. "You're always on time."

"When have I _ever_ been late?" Katherine asked, a little indignantly.

"Katherine, you _invented_ the phrase 'fashionably late'." Damon said, exasperated.

"Well, that's different." Katherine sniffed, glancing at Elena. "Looks good."

Damon looked up as well now, smirking at her. "Very nice. You sure you want to stick with Stefan? I'm free."

Elena rolled her eyes as he caught the book Katherine threw in his direction. "Is it impossible for you to give a straight compliment?"

"A thousand apologies, Miss Gilbert." Damon drawled. "Allow me to amend my earlier statement. You are radiant with the light of a thousand suns and I am honoured just to be in your very presence."

"That's a no." Katherine smirked.

Elena shook her head, smiling. "Where's Stefan?" She sighed. "You're right behind me, aren't you?"

"Yes." Stefan answered, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Sorry, I must have been blinded by your thousand suns."

Elena giggled, turning to face him. "Thank you. Is this okay? I'm not overdressed? Or underdressed?"

Stefan shook his head, running an eye over her. She was wearing a simple, strapless, knee-length black dress, with a thin silver-grey strap around her waist, almost like a belt. Her hair was straight, as usual, except for one lock that had been curled to settle over her right shoulder. "You look beautiful, Elena. As always. New dress?"

Elena nodded. "That reminds me." She said with a smile. "Thank you, Damon. He was nice enough to let us borrow his credit card today." She explained, seeing Stefan's confusion.

Stefan winced. "Sorry, brother."

Damon waved it off. "It's fine. I figure if I drink enough before looking at my bank balance it won't hurt quite so much."

"Oh, relax." Katherine said, rolling her eyes. "We didn't do _that_ much damage."

"I'll be the judge of that." Damon muttered.

"Alright, that's our cue to leave." Stefan decided, taking Elena's arm.

"Have a nice time." Katherine said with a wave. "Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"Be a bit more specific, Katherine." Damon said. "I'm not bailing them out."

Katherine pulled a face at him as the front door closed. "I love you too."

Damon smirked. "You know, there's no way they're coming home tonight."

"That's true." Katherine sauntered over to him, perching on the arm of his chair. "What did you have in mind?"

"Did you get me anything today?" Damon asked.

"Now that you mention it, I did." Katherine answered, letting one red, lacy strap peek from beneath her shirt. "I think it might be a bit too _tight_ though."

"That can be dangerous." Damon informed her seriously. "Cuts off the blood supply, you know. Maybe we'd better go and take a closer look …"


	3. Chapter 3

While Stefan and Elena made their way to the lake-house (not that Elena would realise until they arrived), Tyler and Caroline were sitting in the Mystic Grill in one of the booths, holding hands over the table.

The conversation had lapsed into a kind of awkward silence – and not for the first time over the last few months.

Caroline was absently swirling her coffee with her free hand, contemplating her current situation. Her 'epic love' with Tyler wasn't really going as epically as she expected.

It wasn't that they were fighting, or that her feelings were changing – they just …

She wasn't even sure how to describe it.

They had spent the previous summer pretending that there wasn't a huge amount of sexual tension building between them, and it had all imploded after Elena's party, when they had collided in a whirl of sweat and skin and screams and sex.

They never really got past that part. First Tyler was turned into a hybrid, then he was dealing with the sire bond, then he'd left town, then he was dead.

But now the 'honeymoon' was over, and they were left with good sex, but … a lot of awkwardness.

"Caroline," Tyler said quietly, cutting into her thoughts. "I think we need to talk."

Caroline looked up from her coffee and took a deep breath. "Okay."

Setting his own mug to one side, Tyler reached across to take her other hand in his. "I love you, Caroline. The last few months have been amazing, and I don't know what I'd have done without you through any of this."

"But?" Caroline prompted.

Tyler sighed. "Do you ever feel like we're not … I dunno …"

"Right?" Caroline suggested. "Like it was sex and circumstance that brought us together and now it's just …"

"Like we're going through the motions." Tyler finished, relief sparking in his eyes.

"Thank God." Caroline said with a smile. "I thought it was just me. I love you, Tyler; I just don't think I'm _in_ love with you, you know?"

"I know." Tyler said, nodding hastily. "Believe me, Care, I know. I guess if we'd had a normal relationship, we'd have come to this conclusion last September."

"Probably." Caroline conceded. "Honestly, I expected things to end when you came back – assumed you'd meet someone out in the mountains while you were breaking the sire bond."

"Caroline, I'm a wolf, remember?" Tyler asked with a crooked grin. "We're more loyal than that."

"I didn't say you'd started something out there." Caroline protested. "You don't have to start something to feel something."

"Well …" Tyler trailed off, muttering something under his breath, too quietly for even Caroline to hear.

However, the slightly red tinge in his cheeks intrigued her and she smirked, propping her chin up on her hands. "Oh, something happened out there. Go on, Ty. Inquiring minds want to know. Who is she? What's her name?"

"Hayley." Tyler answered.

Caroline waited, but he offered no more information. "Werewolf?"

"Yes."

Caroline sighed. "What does she look like?"

"Does it matter?" Tyler asked. "Nothing happened, Caroline, I swear."

"I know nothing happened." Caroline said softly. "But you feel something, and that's okay. Talk to me."

Tyler sighed. "She was the first member of the pack to accept me. The others were wary; they'd heard about Klaus and they wanted nothing to do with him. But Hayley helped me and she accepted me, and …"

"You fell in love with her." Caroline finished softly.

"No!" Tyler protested. "No, Caroline, I didn't. This was before I figured out that this wasn't right, remember? I didn't let myself …"

"So let yourself." Caroline said simply. "What does she look like?"

Tyler stared at her for a second, then sighed with resignation and pulled out his cell phone. "And I'm the hybrid." He muttered. "You're like a dog with a bone." Tapping a few buttons, he handed her the device. "How have you not already seen it?"

"I don't make a habit of going through your phone." Caroline said mildly, looking at the group of about eight people on the screen. "This was the pack?"

"Some of them." Tyler confirmed. "About half. The others weren't too fond of me. Human Caroline would have gone through these about ten times by now."

"Human Caroline was more neurotic than Vampire Caroline." Caroline said haughtily. "Which one's Hayley?"

"The one in the middle." Tyler answered. "Brunette. I thought vampirism was supposed to increase your human traits, not decrease them."

"It is, but Vampire Caroline has less reason to be neurotic. She's got eternity to make things perfect after all." Caroline said absently, tapping the photograph to zoom in on the girl in the middle.

She was the sort of girl would maybe would not have been considered conventionally attractive, Caroline thought, but there was a light in her eyes that seemed to make her glow.

"How old is she?"

"17." Tyler answered.

"And she lives with the pack?" Caroline asked, frowning. "Are her parents part of it then?"

Tyler shook his head. "She's an orphan and her adoptive parents kicked her out when they found out what she was. She lived on the streets until she found the pack."

Caroline tutted sympathetically. She wanted to ask how a seventeen-year-old killed someone … but then Tyler had been seventeen when he triggered the curse. It was probably an accident, and it was none of her business anyway.

"So?" Caroline asked, handing him back the phone. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Are we actually having this conversation?" Tyler asked in response. "We _just _broke up, Care. Hell, we didn't even technically do that."

"Didn't we?" Caroline asked.

"Neither of us said the words." Tyler pointed out.

"Okay, but can I do it?" Caroline requested, taking his hands again. "I've only ever been dumped – can I please do the dumping just this once?"

Tyler sighed, smiling. "Go ahead."

Caroline smiled. "I think it would be better if we went back to just being friends. It's not you, it's me. Okay, it is you as well, but in a nice way."

"Very good." Tyler said, his smile broadening into a grin. "That's the easiest relationship break-up I've ever been through."

"Me too." Caroline agreed, breathing a sigh of relief. "And hopefully we can carry on without things being awkward."

"Given you started teasing me about other girls before we actually ended it," Tyler said dryly, "I shouldn't think that'll be too difficult." He smirked. "You've never given me a straight answer, you know. What _is_ going on with Klaus?"

Caroline took a gulp of coffee, wishing it was something stronger. "Don't ask."

* * *

Elena had guessed several places Stefan might be taking her, both aloud and in her head, but the Gilbert lake-house had not been one of them.

When Stefan pulled up outside and turned the car off, she turned to him with a smile. "Stefan, did you ask Katherine to keep me away from the lake-house today?"

"Now why would I do something like that?" Stefan asked innocently. "Shall we?"

He disappeared from her side and opened the door, and her smile widened as she took Stefan's hand to exit the car.

"Small problem." She said with a sigh. "I can't get inside. Jeremy needs to invite me in. He was supposed to come with me today."

"We'll call him later if we need to." Stefan said. "For the time being, we're not going inside."

"We're not?" Elena asked, frowning slightly.

"It's dry out." Stefan pointed out. "We can't get cold. And I thought you'd prefer this instead."

As they rounded the side of the house, Elena gasped, her free hand flying to her mouth. The jetty had been covered in candles and flowers, a picnic rug placed in the centre.

"You like it?" Stefan checked.

"I love it." Elena answered immediately, blinking back tears. It wasn't that she wasn't used to Stefan doing anything sweet or romantic (on the contrary, he was very good at it), but this was something her dad used to do for her mom, even after they had been married for many years and after the children had grown up – when Elena was old enough, she used to help him set it up, her attempts at keeping it a secret from her mother getting better as she grew older.

In fact, though Elena had never told Stefan this (nor was she about to), this was even how Grayson Gilbert had proposed to Miranda Sommers (as she was then), a story that had become a young Elena's favourite to listen to at bedtime.

"It's perfect." Elena added, as Stefan led her over to the picnic blanket.

"Wait here, sweetheart." He said, helping her sit. "Dinner's inside, where it can stay warm."

"Okay." Elena caught his hand, pulling his face down to kiss him. "Thank you."

Stefan pressed a kiss to her palm before releasing her. "Anything for you."

* * *

Dinner was, as it always was when Stefan cooked, excellent. Over an hour later, Elena leaned back in Stefan's arms, accepting a last forkful of tiramisu, letting out a hum of contentment as she swallowed.

"I love you." She sighed, feeling him kiss her temple. "You know, my dad used to do this for my mom."

"I know." Stefan murmured. "Jeremy mentioned it when I said he might need to invite you in."

Elena twisted to face him, a smile lighting up her face. "Seriously?"

Stefan nodded. "I think there's something a bit different than when your dad used to do it though."

Elena looked around. "No, I think everything's here."

"Well, you can't really see it from here." Stefan said. "You'd have to go right to the end of the jetty and look out over the lake."

Curiosity peaked, Elena wriggled out of his arms and walked to the end of the dock, peering across the water. The sun had long since set now, the light of the candles illuminating their small sanctuary, but their light didn't extend very far, and the water was shrouded in darkness.

She heard Stefan move behind her, but didn't turn around, her eyes scanning the view. "I don't see anything."

"Turn around." Stefan suggested.

Elena did so, intending to remind him that he said to look out over the lake, but her words died on her lips as a sharp gasp replaced them, her hands flying to her mouth.

Stefan was no longer sitting on the picnic blanket where she'd left him, but kneeling just in front of it, a small box in his hand. "A year ago today," he began quietly, and she bit back the instinctual urge to just say yes, "you saved my life – you and Caroline. You'd had to deal with so much and … my decision to build up my tolerance to human blood never needed to be part of it, nor did I expect it to be. But you did more than deal with it, you embraced it. And we sat in the library, and you said …"

"It's you and me, Stefan." Elena whispered, tears prickling at the backs of her eyes. "Always."

"It was the first time I let myself dream." Stefan continued, his eyes fixed on hers. "The first time I let myself believe that we had a future, you and I. Over the next few months, it didn't seem possible, what with Klaus and the sacrifice and the Ripper …"

"And the Originals, and Esther, and Damon." Elena finished, smiling tremulously. "We've been through hell."

"We have." Stefan agreed. "And now here we are, on the other side of hell, with eternity ahead of us. After you turned, you asked me for eternity, Elena, and it never quite sat right. After everything that had happened, I should have been the one asking. You are everything; there are no words in this language or any other that could even begin to tell you how much I love you. Elena Miranda Gilbert, will you marry me?"

* * *

**AN: If you don't like Hayley ... tough. I don't like the story-line they gave her, but I do like her potential, so I'm using her. Please let me know what you think :)**


	4. Chapter 4

_"Elena Miranda Gilbert, will you marry me?"_

Elena took a deep shaky breath, willing the tears to stay away for just a little longer. "Yes." She whispered, her voice shaking with emotion. "Yes …" She laughed shakily, dropping to her knees as well. "Did you even need to ask?"

"Well, you know what they say about assumptions." Stefan quipped, taking her hands.

"This isn't an assumption, Stefan." Elena said through a wide smile. "It's inevitable." Her smile widened even further as he removed the ring from the small box he was holding and slipped it on to her finger. "It's just like my daylight ring." She remarked, admiring it.

"Well, they kinda came as a set." Stefan admitted.

"They came as a …" Elena's eyes widened. "How long have you been planning this?"

"This exactly? A couple of weeks." Stefan answered. "But I always knew I was going to marry you one day."

"Caroline's not throwing a party, is she?" Elena asked. "Damon and Katherine were in on it."

"Well, Katherine was." Stefan conceded. "She was the only person I knew wouldn't let anything slip. Caroline and Damon were the only other people available and …"

"Care can't keep a secret and I can read Damon like a book." Elena finished understandingly, wiping a tear from her cheek. "God, I love you."

"I love you too." Stefan pulled her into a kiss and helped her to her feet in one movement.

Resting her head against his chest, Elena sighed happily. "You know this is exactly how my dad proposed to my mom."

Stefan smiled into her hair. "I know. Jeremy told me that too. He also said that it was your favourite bedtime story and you always dreamed it would happen to you too."

Elena nearly started crying again, burying her face into his shoulder. "I love you so much."

* * *

"Why are we here so early?" Caroline whined.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Barbie, and drink your coffee."

"I'm with Caroline." Jeremy said, bringing in some more coffee mugs. "Why have you all invaded my house?"

"Don't look at us." Tyler grumbled, Bonnie nodding emphatically. "We got phone calls."

"I got dragged." Caroline added, scowling.

"Look, blame her." Damon said, pointing at Katherine, who was perched on the arm of his chair. "It's _her idea."_

"I just think we should all spend more time together." Katherine said innocently. "Is that so bad?"

Before anyone could comment on the obvious, the front door opened and closed, and Elena's voice rang out. "Jeremy!"

"Living room." Jeremy called back.

Elena burst through the door, confusion entering her eyes when she saw everyone. "What are you all doing here?"

"Bonding, apparently." Bonnie answered. "Katherine's idea."

Katherine smiled sweetly at Elena. "Well, I think it's about time, don't you?"

"Subtle as a brick." Stefan murmured in Elena's ear.

She elbowed him in the side. "Thanks, Katherine."

"You're welcome." Katherine smirked. "Go on."

"Go on what?" Caroline asked. "What's going on, Elena?"

Elena grinned broadly. "We're getting married!"

Two squeals filled the room as Caroline and Bonnie flung themselves at her, and Stefan stepped aside to avoid being squashed as well.

The three girls collapsed in a giggling heap, and Jeremy got to his feet, shaking his head in amusement, reaching over to shake Stefan's hand. "Congrats, man. Look after her."

"Like he'd do anything else." Matt scoffed, clapping Stefan on the back.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God …!"

"Breathe, Caroline!" Elena laughed, untangling herself. "Remember what we agreed? You can't talk if you don't breathe first."

"Oh my God, oh my _God_!" Caroline jumped at Stefan, hugging him tightly. "Why didn't you_ tell _me?"

"Because you can't keep a secret." Katherine answered, getting to her feet. "Congratulations, guys."

"Thanks Katherine." Elena repeated, embracing her automatically.

"I can too keep a secret!" Caroline protested.

"Care, if I'd asked you to distract Elena so I could set up a picnic at the lake-house so I could propose to her," Stefan said, sounding amused, "would you have managed to keep it a secret all day?"

"You did it at the lake-house?" Caroline squealed. "Oh God, that's just how …"

"Dad asked Mom." Jeremy finished. "He knows. I told him."

This admission gained him a Caroline-hug as well.

"You are the best brother ever!"

"Aw …" Jeremy kissed her temple. "Thanks … Elena. You look good blonde."

Caroline rolled her eyes, shoving him gently. "Oh, shut up."

Jeremy chuckled. "Well, being the good brother I am, I should probably tell Elena that I have a pile of stuff that she needs to sign for school."

Elena sighed. "Oh, God, I'd forgotten about that."

Damon slung an arm over her shoulder. "I'll do it if you want."

"You're not his guardian." Elena pointed out.

"They don't know that." Damon said with a smirk.

"I think they kinda do." Katherine said, rolling her eyes. "Given that they are Elena and Jeremy _Gilbert_."

"Not for long." Damon pointed out, dropping a kiss on Elena's forehead. He didn't say anything else, but Elena could read him like a book, and she beamed, twisting to hug him.

"Alright, Jer, let's have a look." She said. "Ladies? Girls' night tonight?"

"Good idea." Bonnie agreed, clapping a hand over Caroline's mouth. "And we want details, Elena."

"You'll get them." Elena promised, as Tyler and Matt both hugged her.

"I've got to get to work." Matt said, kissing Elena's cheek.

"And I promised Mom I'd help with …" Tyler hesitated, kissing her other cheek. "Whatever she was talking about last night."

"Fundraiser for the church roof." Caroline informed him, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, you never listen!"

"Better go and help, Care." Elena suggested.

"I know." Caroline sighed, hugging her again. "We'll talk later."

"I'd better get home as well." Bonnie admitted. "I've got work to do before tomorrow."

"I'll give you a ride." Stefan offered. "Give Elena and Jeremy a chance to catch up."

Elena smiled, kissing him softly. "Thank you."

"I can't hang around all day either." Damon said. "Plans to be made, stuff to do."

"Katherine …" Elena began.

"It's nothing too bad." Katherine assured her. "I hope. I'll keep an eye on things."

"Thanks." Elena said. "You up for tonight as well?"

Katherine looked taken aback for a second – girls' night had always been Bonnie and Caroline and Elena, no one else – but recovered quickly. "Sure, why not."

"I was thinking," Caroline said, as she ushered Tyler towards the door, "do you think we should invite Rebekah as well? I know we talk at school, but she doesn't really seem to have any friends, you know?"

Elena looked over at Bonnie, who shrugged and nodded. "Alright, I'll get hold of her today."

Truth be told, she was a little relieved. Whatever friendship she and Rebekah had formed while she was staying at the boarding house had been rekindled since the truce, but with Caroline and Bonnie still a little wary of the Originals, it had been difficult to reconcile that outside of school.

Stefan kissed Elena once more, there was a flurry of goodbyes and activity, and then Jeremy and Elena were left alone in their living room.

Jeremy cocked his head to one side, observing her. "You happy?"

Elena nodded, feeling tears gathering in her eyes again. "So happy."

"But?" Jeremy prompted knowingly, wrapping his arms around her.

"I wish they were here." Elena whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. "I miss them."

"I know, Lena." Jeremy said, kissing her forehead. "They'd be so happy, Elena. Mom and Dad … and Aunt Jenna … they only ever wanted you to be happy."

"I know." Elena said softly. "I know they would. But then I can't help thinking about everything John said …"

"Elena, even he left that letter saying that he loved you no matter what." Jeremy pointed out, stroking her hair. "And you know how he and Dad didn't really get along. Why do you think Jenna got custody over him?"

Elena smiled weakly. "That's true."

"You love Stefan, right?" Jeremy asked. "You want to marry him?"

Elena's face lit up in a smile. "More than anything. It'd just be nice to know that they … that they'd approve."

Jeremy jumped slightly and chuckled. "Well, Ric approves, if that means anything."

Elena lifted her head, her eyes scanning the apparently empty room. "He's here?" She knew that Jeremy had seen Ric since he died, but it had never been for very long and never around her.

Jeremy put a gentle hand atop her head, guiding her to face the right direction. "Right there. He says that he's been trying to find his feet on the Other Side, so he hasn't really been able to be around, but everything's sorted now. Stefan's a great guy and he couldn't be happier for you." He paused, listening intently. "And … Oh God …"

"What?" Elena asked worriedly.

Jeremy shook his head, smiling sadly. "Esther was telling the truth when she said Jenna wasn't on the 'Other Side' because she was still pure when she died, but she was still a vampire, so she can travel between the two." He swallowed hard. "I can't see her, but Ric can and … you'll want to sit down."

Elena did as she was told, sinking into one of the armchairs. "What's happened?"

"Nothing bad." Jeremy perched on the arm beside her, taking her hand. "But Jenna's asked Ric to pass on a message from Mom and Dad."

Elena took a shaky breath, losing the battle with tears. "Okay."

"Jenna's repeating it exactly to Ric, he's repeating it to me, and I'm gonna repeat it to you." Jeremy told her gently. "Dad's first. Elena, growing up, we were taught about vampires like they were some kind of nightmare. John believed every word, but I didn't. I always believed that we all have the potential to be good and bad, and what matters is the part we choose to act on. Stefan's a good man, and Damon … Well, he's growing on me."

Elena gave a watery laugh.

"Everyone makes mistakes in their lives, but your choice in November was not one of them. We completely understand your reasoning, and we're so proud of how you've handled yourself with dignity and determination, and the compassion we like to think we raised you with." Jeremy paused to clear his throat. "Mum seconds it, and she says …" he choked out a laugh. "She says the only thing she's disappointed about is the lack of grandchildren, because you'd make really cute babies."

Elena laughed. "You'll just have to do it for me."

Jeremy's face drained of colour. "Whoa, slow down."

The front door opened and closed, and Stefan appeared in the living room doorway, his eyes landing on Elena's tearstained face. "You okay, sweetheart?"

Elena sniffed and blurred into his arms. "Happy tears." She assured him, even as more fell.

"Jenna can travel and gave Ric a message from Mom and Dad." Jeremy explained. He was beaming, but his eyes were suspiciously bright, and Elena guessed he'd just been given his own message. "Actually, Stefan, they have something to say to you as well."

"Oh?" Stefan asked, sounding faintly nervous.

Jeremy nodded. "Your past is your past, and you need to stop dwelling on it to focus on your future. You've borne your guilt and punished yourself disproportionately. Neither of them could have chosen a better man for Elena and they want me to welcome you into the family. Which I'd do anyway."

Stefan nodded jerkily. "Thanks man." He kissed Elena's forehead. "You okay?"

"It just means so much." Elena whispered. "Knowing that they're happy."

"Forms are on the kitchen counter." Jeremy told her, getting up. "Unless you need me for them, Ric has messages for Damon."

"You're going to go and try to have an emotional heart-to-heart with Damon?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jeremy snorted. "No. Please, can you see _Ric_ having an emotional heart-to-heart with Damon?"

"Now you mention it," Stefan said, "not really."

"Just be careful." Elena cautioned.

"Relax, Lena." Jeremy said cheerfully. "I've got back-up."

"Jeremy, we've talked about using the ring as back-up." Elena sighed.

"I'm talking about Ric." Jeremy corrected, donning a hoodie. "See you later!"

Elena winced as the front door slammed. "Only my brother would take a ghost as back-up."

Stefan chuckled. "Relax. Damon won't hurt him."

"I know that." Elena said. "But Damon won't admit that he misses Ric, so he's not going to be too happy that Jeremy has to be the go-between, and you know what Damon's like for lashing out when things get emotional."

Stefan laced his fingers with hers. "Jeremy knows that. And I really don't think Damon would hurt him. If you'd asked me a year ago …"

"Well, just over a year ago, he snapped Jeremy's neck, so I wouldn't have bothered asking." Elena pointed out wryly.

"Good point." Stefan conceded. "What are those forms for?"

"Whatever they are, they can wait a few hours." Elena decided, a glint in her eye. "We have the house to ourselves."

Stefan raised an amused eyebrow. "It's nine o'clock on a Sunday morning."

Elena pouted. "So?"

The twinkle in Stefan's eyes gave her a split-second warning, before he scooped her up and she found herself over his shoulder.

"Stefan!"

"So it's way too early for us to be out of bed." Stefan finished, blurring them both upstairs as she giggled madly. "We'll have to remedy that."

* * *

**AN: Starting to wonder if anyone's actually reading this ...**


	5. Chapter 5

"What exactly do you have to do?" Katherine asked curiously.

"Money doesn't grow on trees, Katherine." Damon reminded her, pushing the boarding house door shut.

Katherine smirked. "It does when you're a vampire."

"Okay, so it comes a little easier." Damon conceded. "But that doesn't mean I don't need to check in on my investments every so often. Aside from anything else, there's a wedding coming up."

"Doesn't the bride's family pay for the wedding?" Katherine asked.

"Well, as amusing as it would be to watch Baby Gilbert attempt to pay for a wedding using busboy tips and life insurance," Damon said, "I thought I'd give him a hand."  
Katherine rolled her eyes, smacking him on the shoulder as she passed. "I mean me. I'll pay for it."

Damon raised an eyebrow. "You have the money to pay for a wedding, but not a shopping spree?"

"I've got longer to talk Elena into accepting this." Katherine pointed out. "You weren't complaining last night."

"Well, darling, any time you want to explore your love of silk and lace, you know I'm always here to support you." Damon smirked.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Katherine smirked back, smoothing his shirt collar. "As much as I need some support, you have work to do. Remember?"

"I do remember." Damon dropped a kiss on her lips. "Now disappear, Kitten. It'll go faster if you don't distract me."

Katherine smiled, a sweet, almost innocent smile that made Damon feel human again, as though it was still 1864 and Stefan or Emily was about to interrupt them.

As though she was reading his mind, Katherine made a deep curtsy that would have been at home in any ballroom, looking strangely bereft without the full skirts that had been so fashionable in those days. He knew her actions were strictly mocking and her eyes remained fixed on his, amusement shining in their depths. "As you wish, Mr Salvatore." She blew him a kiss and almost flounced off towards the kitchen, leaving him chuckling behind her.

Katherine spent the next hour in the library, reading one of the books she hadn't read in over a century.

Only when the doorbell rang did she rise again, noting that Damon hadn't moved at the sound. There weren't many people who came to the boarding house – especially not people who knocked –so it was either Liz or a lost traveller trying to get into town.

If it was the latter, she might even get a meal out of it, if they hadn't been exposed to the main water supply.

However, it was Jeremy who was standing at the door, looking faintly nervous, glancing at the empty space beside him in a way that suggested that he wasn't entirely alone.

"Hey kid." Katherine greeted. "What brings you here?"

"Well, I need to talk to Damon." Jeremy answered. "At least I think I do. Alaric keeps changing his mind on whether it's a good idea. And I need to talk to you as well, but he's being sketchy about that."

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Come through to the living room." She waved a hand at the couch on the way through, but didn't stop. "I'll get Damon. I think he's in the downstairs study."

"You _think_?" Jeremy called after her, only to be ignored.

Crossing the hall to the study across from the library, Katherine didn't bother knocking, pushing the door open to find that Damon had fallen asleep, slumped over the desk, papers wrinkling beneath him.

Snickering to herself, Katherine bent over him, her lips hovering beside his ear. "Damon …" Receiving no response, she straightened up and perched on the desk. "Damon, Jeremy wants to talk to you."

Damon remained motionless, which would have concerned Katherine, except that he had continued breathing in his sleep for once.

Katherine brushed some of the hair from his face, rarely unguarded affection crossing her face. "You look so peaceful." She murmured. "It's almost a shame to wake you." Clearing her throat, she raised her voice to speak normally. "Elena, I'd love to go shopping with you, Caroline, Bonnie and Rebekah. I've still got Damon's credit card."

Damon bolted upright. "The hell you … No, you haven't. You gave it back."

Katherine shrugged. "And Elena's still at home as far as I know. What's your point?"

Damon rubbed his head. "You're cruel. Cruel and unusual."

"Again, what's your point?" Katherine asked. "Working hard, I see."

"Oh, shut up." Damon muttered. "This is tedious stuff."

"Poor baby." Katherine cooed. "C'mon; Jeremy wants to talk to you."

"About?" Damon questioned, throwing the paperwork into a pile.

"No idea." Katherine admitted. "But he mentioned Alaric."  
"He'd better not be bringing bad news." Damon muttered, leaving the study.

"Damon," Katherine said warningly, "leave the kid alone."

Damon gave her an absent wave over his shoulder, turning into the living room. "Alright, what is it?"

Jeremy stood up, running his hand through his hair nervously. "Erm, Alaric's kinda hanging around now and … Well, he's got something to say, but he's also got a message – two messages – coming through Jenna, but he keeps changing his mind about whether I should tell you."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Where is he?"  
Jeremy jerked his head at one of the chairs.

"Right." Damon poured two glasses of bourbon, setting one in front of the empty chair. "Stop being so overprotective, Ric. I'm not going to eat him. Alright, John Edward, let's hear it."

"I'm assuming that's a psychic medium of some kind." Jeremy muttered, shifting uncomfortably. "Okay, so Ric says that you're doing fine, just follow your instincts, and stop pretending you don't care about any of us, because everyone knows you do. Oh," he turned to Katherine, "he also says that if you hurt Damon again, he'll come back from the Other Side to stake you."

"He'll have to get in line." Katherine said mildly, grasping Damon's arm warningly. "I think Stefan and Elena started one in November."

"So that's message number one," Jeremy continued determinedly, "along with the whole 'he misses you, you were his best friend' thing that he's making damn sure he doesn't verbalise, but is really kind of obvious …"

"Get on with it." Damon said irritably.

"The other one …" Jeremy swallowed hard. "Are you sure?" He asked the empty space. "Oh … Okay …" He moved behind the couch, arming himself with a stake that he removed from inside his jacket.

"Oh dear." Katherine said tiredly, pushing Damon down into a seat and sitting on his lap. "Go ahead."

"Your mom somehow found Jenna." Jeremy said quickly. "And she says that she knows you've made a lot of mistakes in your life, and that you know that too, and that despite everything, she's proud of you for realising that and for trying to make amends, and that she loves you – both of you – no matter what."

Katherine could feel Damon tensing, and shot to her feet. "Thanks for stopping by Jeremy. I'll walk you to the door."

Jeremy raced out of the door faster than should have been humanly possible, and Katherine pressed a kiss to the side of Damon's head without a word, following him out of the door.

Katherine shut the front door and beckoned Jeremy towards his car (okay, so it was technically Elena's, but he was allowed to drive it). "No offense or anything," she said quietly, "but it's best if Damon deals with this where he can't kill anyone."

"Believe me, I know." Jeremy muttered, allowing himself to be pushed into the driver's seat. "I need to talk to you too."

"Yeah, you said." Katherine leaned in and started the engine, allowing it to cover her voice. "What is it?"

"Well, Jenna's kind of stuck with your parents as well." Jeremy explained slowly. "And …"

"Don't finish that." Katherine interrupted wearily. "They're _not_ proud of me, and never will be."

"Yeah, that's kind of what I'm getting." Jeremy agreed. "But – and this will hopefully make more sense to you than it will me – Anastasia is there too, and she's in the middle of a screaming match with them. Erm, she blames them for you not being there, but you were there anyway, and you did what you could, and she loves you."

Katherine wasn't entirely sure what she had been expecting – she had known her parents wouldn't have anything positive to say, and who else would be there?

But Anastasia …

"Is Alaric still here?" She asked quietly.

Jeremy nodded to the seat beside him. "Right there."

"Good." Katherine said. "Block your ears." When Jeremy had done as he was told, she took a deep breath. "Tell Jenna to tell her that I love her too, and that whatever my parents say, whatever society said, whatever the circumstances were, she was the best thing that happened to me."

At her nudge, Jeremy took his hands away from his ears and glanced at the empty space beside him. "Ric says he will. And that you owe Jenna an apology."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to …"

"He knows you don't regret keeping yourself alive." Jeremy said, cutting her off. "But you do regret hurting Elena."

Katherine sighed. "Fine. Tell Jenna I'm sorry. But put yourself in my shoes."  
"I have." Jeremy said dryly. "It's not pretty."

"Watch it." Katherine warned, with no real heat. "I'm being nice enough to help pay for your sister's wedding."

"You don't have to do that." Jeremy told her hastily, but she waved him off.

"Don't be ridiculous. She's family, after all. And I'm not that heartless that I'd make you do it." She straightened up. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Wow … I don't know what to say." Jeremy stammered.

"Say thank you and go and visit your girlfriend." Katherine told him. "I know Sabrina said she had stuff to do, but if Stefan and Elena aren't taking advantage of an empty house …"

"Thank you!" Jeremy said loudly.

Katherine smirked. "You're welcome." She watched him drive off, her smirk disappearing with him.

Her daughter knew she was a vampire.

Her daughter knew that she hadn't died in childbirth, knew that she hadn't been an orphan when she was adopted.

Her daughter forgave her and still loved her.

Katherine wasn't entirely sure Damon knew about the events that had led her to England in 1491. She knew that Elena knew, but she wasn't sure Elena had ever repeated her story to either of the brothers.

If Damon didn't know, she was glad she had guarded her conversation with Jeremy from eavesdroppers. She wasn't ashamed – far from it – but right now, Damon deserved her undivided attention.

And that, she told herself firmly, turning to go back into the house, was exactly what she was going to get.

* * *

Girls' night, it had been duly decided, took place in Caroline's living room, her mattress and that of the spare room pushed together on the floor, covered in various duvets and pillows.

Her mother was working the nightshift, so she wouldn't be back until morning, and she wouldn't be kept awake by the girls gossiping.

Rebekah arrived first, much to Caroline's relief, since it meant that Liz could invite her in on her way out.

"That was close." Caroline remarked, when her mother had left. "I'd forgotten you couldn't get in here."

"It's fine." Rebekah said, waving it off. "I've never really done this before, but I brought chocolate brownies."

"Then you're off to a good start." Caroline assured her, as the doorbell rang again.

It was Bonnie, but Elena and Katherine weren't far behind her, and Caroline ushered them all into the living room.

It was obvious that Bonnie was still wary of Rebekah, and she and Katherine merely tolerated each other, but Elena greeted her with a warm hug.

"Elena! What is that on your finger?!"

Elena beamed through her blush. "Stefan proposed!"

Rebekah let out a squeal that rivalled Caroline's earlier reaction and hugged her again. "How? When? Where?"

"We're all waiting for those details." Caroline said, a little grumpily. "Aside from the when and the where."  
"Last night at the lake house." Elena put in brightly.

The five girls settled on the mattresses, four of them looking intently at Elena (even Katherine).

"Well, Stefan called me at lunchtime and asked if I'd like to have dinner." Elena began. "And he took me to the lake house, and he'd decorated the dock with flowers and candles and we had a picnic …"

"Which is exactly what your dad used to do for your mom." Bonnie put in.

Elena nodded, her eyes glazing over slightly. "Yeah, I mentioned that after we ate, but he said that there was something different and to walk to the end of the dock and look over the lake. But I couldn't see anything, and he told me to turn around, and he was down on one knee. And then he asked me."

"Aww." Caroline cooed. "Did he say why yesterday?"

"It was an anniversary of sorts." Elena answered. "It's … kind of personal." She was reluctant to share that little piece of information. The first time he had fed from her (life-threatening situations not withstanding) was incredibly important and personal to her, even if she hadn't taken note of the date (it didn't surprise her that he had though).

To her surprise, Katherine nodded understandingly. "Blood or sex?" She asked.

Caroline and Rebekah's faces cleared, but Bonnie looked confused. "What?"

"A personal anniversary, last March, Elena was still human." Katherine explained. "It's either the first time they had sex – unlikely – or the first time he fed from her."

"Well, it wasn't exactly feeding, but …" Elena looked between the three vampires. "You don't find it weird?"  
"Elena, vampires need blood to survive." Caroline reminded her. "You know that. You've never been in that situation, but for a human to willingly offer their blood, especially when you already have a connection …"

"It takes a level of trust beyond anything you would normally expect." Rebekah finished. "Especially given Stefan's previous issues."

Katherine nodded in agreement. "And it's probably even bigger than Caroline would think, because she hasn't spent a couple of centuries having to compel her food."

"Alright, I have to ask," Bonnie said, "and nothing against you, Elena, but vampire bites hurt – why would you willingly let it happen?"

"First of all, Stefan wasn't feeding per se." Elena admitted. "I made the cut."

"Probably best." Katherine said. "Second of all, vampire bites don't have to hurt. We can take the pain away, and not just though compulsion."

"So why don't all vampires do that?" Bonnie asked.

"Because if you take the pain away, you're left with a sense of pleasure, which can get incredibly awkward." Katherine explained. "No matter what your personal feelings are for the vampire in question. Right, Elena?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "We swore we wouldn't speak of that again."

"No, you did." Katherine said, smirking. "I made no such promise."

"When did that happen?" Caroline asked, frowning.

"Oh, after Katherine pretended to be me to kill Jonas." Elena reminded her. "Although why …"

"I wanted to prove a point." Katherine said.

"What point?" Elena asked. "That I was no match for you?"

"No, that I would never really hurt you." Katherine said.

"Oh." Elena was silent for a few seconds. "No offence, but your methods suck."

"Can we change the subject?" Bonnie asked.

"Yes please." Elena said, rubbing her temple. "I'd like you to be my bridesmaids."

"Obviously." Caroline said with a smile.

"Of course." Bonnie added.

Elena looked between Rebekah, who looked a little awkward, and Katherine. "Well?"

"Well what?" Rebekah asked blankly.

Elena laughed. "I'm asking you two too."

"And what exactly is Stefan going to think about _both_ of his ex-girlfriends being in the wedding?" Katherine asked.

"I'm not asking Stefan's exes." Elena said, rolling her eyes. "I'm asking my friends, two of whom happen to have dated him in the past."

"Yeah, I see the distinction." Rebekah joked. "Of course, Elena. Thank you for asking me."

Elena looked at Katherine. "You?"

"Are you sure?" Katherine asked.

"Like you said, Kat, we're family." Elena reminded her. "It's either this or give me away, and that's _way_ too weird."

Katherine laughed. "Alright. I'll do it. I guess Jeremy's going to give you away?"

Elena nodded. "Of course. It'll be a bit weird, because family tradition says that the bride is given away by two people, even if that isn't her parents, but with Jenna, John and Ric gone … even Isobel …."

"Hey, hey, hey." Caroline said, handing her a tissue. "None of that tonight. What about Stefan? I guess Damon's going to be the best man?"

Elena giggled. "Stefan's got to ask him first. What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall for that conversation."

* * *

The boarding house was quiet without the girls there.

Damon sat in the study checking over the paperwork, sipping a glass of whiskey in an attempt to keep himself awake.

Jeremy's visit had shaken him more than he was willing to admit. He had only been six when his mother died, but his memories remained as strong as ever.

Maria Salvatore had been his sole ally aside from Stefan, and his brother had been too young to combat their father on his behalf.

Damon had stopped thinking about what his mother's reactions would have been to his actions when he was forced to join the Confederate Army. His mother, he knew, would have been strongly against the Confederacy, even if only because of her personal view on slavery.

"Damon?"

"Problem, brother?" Damon asked, not looking up.

Stefan leaned against the doorframe. "Is it worth asking what Ric had to say?"

"No." Damon answered, setting the papers to one side. "Was that all you wanted?"

Stefan sighed, addressing his folded arms over his brother. "Look, Damon, neither of us is very good at the sentimental stuff, but you are going to be my best man, right?"

Damon cracked a grin. "Well, obviously. Who else were you going to ask?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I have friends."

"Sure you do." Damon drawled.

"What did Ric say?" Stefan asked again.

"Well, what did he tell you?" Damon asked in response. "I'm sure Baby Gilbert had a message."

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Elena's parents are proud of her and think she's making the right decision in marrying me."

"Oh." Damon was taken aback for a second. "Well, of course she is. It means she gets me for a brother-in-law."

"What did he say?" Stefan asked for a third time.

"He had a message from Mother." Damon answered, almost absently. "She said she loves both of us." He looked up, frowning. "Why wouldn't she give you a message as well?"

"Maybe she figured you were the one that needed it." Stefan answered carefully. "I mean, she was your mother and you lost her."

"So did you." Damon pointed out.

"Not really." Stefan disagreed. "I was a baby, Damon. I don't remember her. You can't miss something you never had."

Nevertheless, there was an almost sad note in his voice that made Damon think twice about spending the rest of the evening alone with his thoughts and a bottle.

"She loved to sing." He said, as Stefan began to walk away.

"What was that?" Stefan asked, turning to face him again.

"Mother. She loved to sing." Damon repeated. "She used to take me riding, and sing as we went. The farmhands used to stop work to listen as we went by."

Stefan smiled. "I bet Father hated that."

Damon laughed, pouring another glass for his brother. "Oh, you have no idea …"


	6. Chapter 6

As the weeks passed, plans were made.

It was agreed that the wedding would take place in the church, since that was where Elena's parents had married, and that they would return to the boarding house for a reception.

Katherine had produced the name and number of a caterer out of nowhere, assuring them that the woman in question was an old acquaintance, who knew about vampires and would keep their secret.

As much as Elena didn't want to compel any of the guests, she also didn't want to have to hide or pretend on her own wedding day, which left her with another dilemma, since the townspeople were still on vervain.

It was Damon who came up with a solution, suggesting that they lay a compulsion over the house itself that wouldn't directly compel the human guests (bypassing the vervain) but that would make any supernatural occurrences seem like nothing out of the ordinary.

The fact that Carol and Liz would be there, and not reacting, would help to reassure anyone who did see something strange that they had had too much to drink, or were imagining things.

The date was set for July 3rd, not long after their graduation date, and in the meantime, there was a lot that still needed to be done.

Aside from wedding planning, Caroline was rushed off her feet planning their senior prom. She wasn't sure if Elena had even remembered, but since her best friend wasn't on the planning committee, all Elena needed to do was find a dress and show up, and Caroline would take care of the rest.

One day, in mid-April, Caroline was camped in a booth at the Mystic Grill, looking over prom plans. The only other person on the committee she really trusted was, ironically, Rebekah, but she was out of town for the morning with Katherine – Elena was going wedding dress shopping that afternoon, and the two older vampires supposedly had a plan to make it run smoother.

Caroline wasn't entirely sure what it was, but she was fairly sure it wouldn't be anything too bad, and she'd find out that afternoon anyway, so she had resigned herself to checking the plans alone before actually acting on any of them.

A few suggestions from some of the committee had been instantly thrown out, such as Dana's suggestion that they have the bar serving alcohol.

Caroline had no qualms about underage drinking (she'd done it enough), but her senior prom was supposed to be a classy, magical night that she would remember for the rest of eternity, and while _she_ could hold her alcohol well enough, a lot of her classmates couldn't.

And vomit was so difficult to remove from shoes without ruining them totally.

The rest had been voted on, and Caroline just had to work through the list, make sure there was nothing there that hadn't been approved, and then put it into some kind of order of urgency, working out what could be left until the last minute and what needed to be done immediately.

Caroline had just finished, and was beginning to assign tasks to the other members of the committee, when she picked up on a female voice at the bar.

She didn't recognise the voice, but the words caught her attention.

"… not exactly new in town. I don't know if I'm staying. How did you know anyway?"

"I'm the bartender." Matt answered. "And everyone in town comes here, so I know most people. Plus, I've lived here all my life, so I pick up on new faces. What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone. Although I'm wondering if I should be bothering, since he already led me wrong on where he lived."

Caroline glanced over. She couldn't be sure from behind, but she was sure the girl talking to Matt was familiar. Catching Matt's eye, she mimed dropping something into a drink, and Matt turned away from the girl to make her coffee, muttering, "Thanks, Care, cause I hadn't thought of that."

Caroline smirked and went back to her work, keeping one eye on the girl at the bar. Her dark hair was braided down her back, and she took the mug of coffee with an audible sigh of relief, drinking immediately.

_Travelling for a while then. _Caroline concluded, her eyes dropping to the backpack at the girl's side. _And travelling light at that. And she didn't react to the vervain, so she's not a vampire._

The girl – whoever she was – hadn't reacted, but she did beckon Matt over again. "I don't want to be rude," she said apologetically, "but I think your cream might be off."

Matt smiled, his eyes darting in Caroline's direction. "Sorry. I'll make you another one." He waved at Caroline, as though she'd only just arrived, and she waved back, keeping up the pretence as the girl glanced over.

_A-ha!_ Waiting for the other girl to look away, Caroline caught Matt's eye again and pointed at herself.

"Are you sure?" Matt whispered.

Caroline nodded emphatically, clearing the table in front of her.

Sighing, Matt handed the girl a fresh coffee. "Sorry about that. Most people don't notice the vervain." He gave the girl a reassuring smile. "Relax. I'm one of the humans in this town who doesn't care. Werewolf, right?"  
"Right." She confirmed, still looking like she was going to bolt.

"I had a friend who was one." Matt continued. "Speaking of friends, my other friend would like to speak to you."

Caroline smiled as the girl looked over, seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then approach her warily.

"Hi Hayley." Caroline greeted, when she was in earshot. "You must be looking for Tyler."

While Caroline was playing spontaneous welcoming committee, Elena was pulling up outside the Mikaelsons' house, with more confidence than the last time she had been there.

Since they had formed the truce, Klaus had behaved himself, integrating himself in town events almost as much as Rebekah, if in a less central way.

Carol Lockwood seemed to have formed a genuine, if tentative at first, friendship with the man, and his hybrids seemed to have been ordered to leave Mystic Falls, with the exception of Tyler – and even he could hold a civil conversation with Klaus now.

Given the relatively new peace, and given that Rebekah was one of Elena's bridesmaids, Stefan and Elena had thought long and hard about what she was about to do, but they had finally come to the conclusion that the offer should be made.

As she rang the doorbell, Elena couldn't help noticing how quiet the house was. The last time she had stopped by, a hybrid had opened the door almost immediately, but today she waited for several long minutes before the door opened.

"Oh, hello Elijah." Elena greeted in surprise. "I didn't know you were back in town."

"Elena." Elijah stepped back to allow her entry. "I don't intend to stay too long. I'm afraid Rebekah isn't here."

"I'm here to see Klaus actually." Elena admitted, following him through the house. "But I'm glad you're here. It means I don't have to pass the message through your brother."

"The message?" Elijah prompted.

"Stefan and I are getting married." Elena told him, pulling the invitations from her pocket and checking to make sure she handed him the correct one. "I'd very much like it if you could attend."

"Now, Elijah," Kol drawled from the doorway, when his brother didn't respond for a few seconds (probably out of shock), "it's polite to thank someone when they invite you to a wedding." He pushed away from the doorframe and sauntered into the room. "Where's mine?"  
"Kol …" Elijah said warningly, but Elena laughed.

Elena didn't dislike Kol – he could be quite arrogant at times, and he had no qualms about killing even with his humanity on, but he reminded her of Damon a little bit, which meant she knew how to handle him, which, in turn, meant that when he _was_ in town, she had formed a sort-of friendship with him.

It was necessary, really – Rebekah had no desire for her relationships with her brothers to deteriorate any longer, so on the rare occasion Kol was in town, hanging out with Rebekah included him by default.

"You have to promise me not to eat any of the guests." She said, only half in jest.

"Darling, you wound me." Kol said, wide-eyed. "They're all on vervain, remember?"

"Just so we're clear." Elena handed him the second invitation. "Clearly I timed this well. Is the brother I _actually_ came to see here? And where did the hybrids disappear off to?"  
"Well, Elena, there's a little complication with the hybrids." Klaus answered, appearing from the next room. "It transpires that when I died, however temporarily, it broke the sire bond, and they've all – to use a common phrase – done a bunk."

"You reap what you sow, brother." Kol said cheerfully.

"On that cheerful note," Elena said hastily, before Klaus could decide that Kol needed to spend _another_ century in a coffin (although it might improve his manners), "you are cordially invited, etc. etc."

Klaus took the invitation with no shortage of suspicion. "What's the catch?"

"No catch." Elena said with a shrug. "If you really want a catch, I can guarantee that Stefan's going to get hit with 'oh-my-god-what-if-she-leaves-me' hysteria before the ceremony, and Damon's more likely to mess with his head than reassure him, so you might get called up."

"Elena, you do realise I killed your aunt." Klaus said slowly. "Why on earth would you invite me to your wedding?"

Elena sighed. "Look, I went through that a hundred times while we were trying to come to some kind of decision on the matter, and the fact is … we're safer having you as an ally than an enemy. Far safer, which is why we agreed to the truce in the first place."

"The truce has no bearing …" Klaus began, but Elena waved him off.

"I know that, but it's a start." Elena said softly. "In order to come to terms with a truce, I had to come to terms with what happened to Jenna. I can't be okay with it, I can _never _be okay with it, but I had to forgive you for it, because a truce can't work if one side is bearing grudges. And the thing is … we don't _do_ 'alliances'. It's not in our nature. Caroline, Tyler, Matt, Bonnie, me … we grew up together. We've known each other since we were children. And I'm the only one who had a completely healthy and normal family background. Caroline's mom was always at work and at loggerheads with her dad; Tyler's dad was always caught up in Council stuff, and I swear he was a dick at home when no one was watching; the less said about Matt's parents, the better; Bonnie's mom wasn't there … We formed our own family, because they needed one. And because our friends were always our family, our acquaintances became our friends, you know?"

"So what you're saying," Kol concluded, "is that you've adopted us."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Either way, you're stuck with us unless you kills us, and I'd much prefer it if you didn't."

"We'd be delighted to attend, Elena." Elijah told her with a smile. "Would you like us to pass Rebekah's on to her?"

Klaus smirked. "Haven't you heard, Elijah? Our baby sister is one of Elena's bridesmaids."

Elijah was silent for a few seconds. "How the hell did that happen?"

Kol smirked. "Take a seat, brother. This could take a while."

"On that note," Elena said, "I've got a wedding dress to find. Try not to ruin my reputation too much."

At Caroline's words, Hayley relaxed a little, though not completely. "How do you know Tyler?"

Caroline's smile didn't falter as she held out her hand. "Caroline Forbes."

"Oh." Hayley shook her hand, although Caroline could see her face fall behind the fake smile. "The girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend." Caroline corrected, her smile growing a little. "We broke up a few months ago."

Hayley slid into the booth opposite her, her smile becoming a little more genuine. "I'm sorry."  
"No, you're not." Caroline said with a grin. "But I don't blame you. You had trouble finding him?"

Hayley rolled her eyes. "He said he lived in a trailer park in Florida."

"That would have been his uncle, Mason." Caroline said, sighing. "Sorry about him – he was hiding from Klaus at the time, so …"

"At the time?" Hayley asked. "He's not hiding anymore?"  
Caroline shook her head. "We have a truce with the Originals, so Klaus isn't causing any trouble for Tyler or anyone else." She checked her watch. "I have a dress fitting to get to, but I can give you a ride to Tyler's if you like?"

Hayley looked nervous, but nodded. "That'd be great, thanks."

Caroline waved at Matt, who brought a takeout cup with him, so Hayley could transfer her coffee. "You gonna explain any time, Care?"  
Caroline laughed. "This is Hayley, friend of Tyler's. Hayley, this is Matt Donovan, Tyler's best friend."

"Sometimes." Matt added, shaking her hand. "Sometimes he's a dick, and I react accordingly."

"Donovan!"

Matt grimaced. "That's my boss, sorry."  
He jogged away and Caroline gathered the papers together, slipping them into a file and leading Hayley out to her car.

"I'm heading the prom committee." She explained. "But my best friend's getting married as well, so …"

"You're a vampire." Hayley said quietly, once they were in the car. "Aren't you?"

"Yes." Caroline admitted. "But I don't understand the whole issue between vampires and werewolves. Aside from the obvious. I mean, when Tyler triggered his curse …"  
"He said you stayed with him through his transformations." Hayley said.

"As long as I could." Caroline confirmed.

"What if he'd bitten you?" Hayley asked.

Caroline sighed. "It came close, to be honest. He did bite another vampire we know. Luckily, we found a cure, but it came at one hell of a price."

She knew that Damon, especially, would tell her off for blindly trusting the werewolf beside her, even if Tyler said she could be trusted, but it was nowhere near a full moon – there was nothing Hayley could do to her.

Even if she could somehow infect her with werewolf venom in the middle of the day, Caroline was confident that all she'd have to do was drive to the Mikaelsons' and that Klaus would give her some blood, without a catch this time.

Caroline still wasn't certain how she felt about Klaus.

She hadn't been expecting him to stick around after the truce, but apparently his decision to create a permanent home for his family had not been a passing fancy.

Nor, it appeared, had his interest in her.

She couldn't deny that his interest was flattering – after all, he was the Original Hybrid, the most powerful supernatural being in the world, and she was a year old vampire who was a pacifist to boot.

But at the same time, that made her sceptical. How could he truly want _her_, out of everyone in the world?

It seemed ludicrous.

Today, however, was not the time to start wondering about Klaus. Katherine and Rebekah would be back soon, and she needed to head over to the Salvatore boarding house in time to meet them.

_Too late. _She realised, glancing at the clock.

As she pulled up outside the Lockwood manor, Caroline sent a quick text to Elena, letting her know she'd be a bit late and apologising. "Here we are."

Hayley stared at the house in front of them. "Here? Does he work here?"

Caroline smiled. "No, he lives here. His mom's the town mayor. And his dad was the mayor before that. The Lockwoods are one of the founding families in Mystic Falls, along with mine. They've been here forever."

Hayley bit her lip. "Maybe this was a bad idea."

Caroline laughed. "Oh, don't be silly. Tyler's not a snob. He's been a lot of things in the past, but that wasn't one of them. Much."

Apparently against her better judgement, Hayley got out of the car and followed Caroline to the front door.

Given the amount Caroline had involved herself with the town (and given the lack of interest Tyler had), Carol had long since given Caroline a key to let herself in, and she did just that, raising her voice as soon as they were in the foyer. "Tyler?" She didn't need to shout, of course, but Tyler probably wasn't listening, so at least it would catch his attention.

"Library." Tyler responded, too quietly for Hayley to hear.

Caroline nodded and gestured for Hayley to follow her. "Library." She repeated, for her companion's benefit.

She didn't bother knocking on the library door, but did take a second to make sure Tyler was alone before folding her arms over her chest. "You have some explaining to do, mister!"

Tyler groaned. "What did I do?! I told you, I didn't ask Dana to sneak alcohol in!"

"Not that." Caroline snapped, her lips twitching traitorously. "That photograph was hardly flattering!"

"What photograph?" Tyler asked, sounding bewildered.

"The one you showed me in March." Caroline answered, stepping out of his eyeline so he could see Hayley. "She's much prettier in person."

Tyler stood with a genuine smile, rounding the couch to embrace her. "Hayley! How'd you find me?"

"With difficulty." Hayley responded. "Nice trailer park."

Tyler looked embarrassed. "Yeah, about that …" He looked at Caroline, who sniggered.

"Hell no." She said. "You made the mess, you clean it up. _I _am going to go and watch Elena look beautiful and try not to cry."

When Caroline arrived at the boarding house and walked into the living room, she thought for a second that she had gone mad.

Nearly every surface was covered with white material, aside from the couch, where Katherine, Rebekah and Bonnie were waiting.

"What the hell happened in here?" She asked.

"Katherine and Rebekah went to every bridal salon within a ten mile radius," Bonnie explained, looking as though she wasn't sure whether she approved, "and 'borrowed' every dress they had in Elena's size."

"It makes more sense than driving for hours." Katherine pointed out. "The boys have been kicked out for the afternoon. We'll take them all back. And we promised Elena she can pay for the one she wants. Caroline's here, Elena."

"What did I miss?" Caroline asked, sitting between Bonnie and Rebekah in the offered seat.

"This is the first one." Elena said, appearing from the next room.

"No." Rebekah said bluntly.

"What she means is," Bonnie sighed. "No, she's right. It's too …"

"You look like a marshmallow." Katherine told her.

Elena laughed, looking down at herself. "You're right. I don't like this one."  
"Is there anything you do like?" Caroline asked. "Then we can see if we can find other dresses that have it."

"Or anything specific you hate." Katherine added. "And we can get eliminate that has it."

Elena frowned. "I don't like the skirt." She said. "It's too big. I don't really want one of you needing to help me to the bathroom."

"You could just not eat." Katherine suggested. "Then you won't need to go."

Elena rolled her eyes. "I do like the neckline though."

"Okay." Caroline scanned the other dresses and found one with the same neckline, but a slimmer skirt. "Try this one. We'll get rid of the other marshmallows."

"I told you we shouldn't have picked them up." Rebekah said, as Elena went back into the next room.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "And you were right. Well done."

Two hours later, Elena was still working through dresses, and they were starting to run out of suggestions.

While Elena disentangled herself from the latest rejection, Caroline approached the dresses they had eliminated from what Elena disliked about those she had tried and began looking through them.

"Elena, do you trust me?"

There was silence from the next room, then …

"Depends what you're going to do."

"I'm going to bring in one from the eliminated pile." Caroline told her, pulling one out. "Humour me."

"Alright." Elena agreed, sounding dubious.

Caroline carried the dress through to where Elena was waiting and held it up. "What do you think?"  
"Caroline, I said no corseted bodices." Elena reminded her. "They take too long."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Which is why it was in the eliminated pile. Just humour me, alright? I'll lace you in."

Elena sighed. "Fine." Turning away from the mirror, she allowed Caroline to help her into the dress, resting one hand on the wall for balance as her best friend laced up the bodice.

It wasn't a full corset, the laces more for decoration than function. The rest of the bodice was embroidered with silvery-white flowers, and it ran almost seamlessly into a full skirt – not with the yards and yards of petticoats that the first dress had had, but not the figure tight clinginess of the second.

Caroline took a step back, and ran a critical eye over Elena, feeling a lump form in her throat. "I think this is the one."

"Caroline …" Elena turned to check her reflection and froze. "Oh my God …"

"Well, don't keep us in suspense." Rebekah called. "Let us see."

Caroline led Elena out into the living room, where she was met with silence.

"That's it." Bonnie agreed softly.

"Beautiful." Rebekah added.

"Katherine?" Elena prompted. "What do you think?"

For a second, Caroline swore she saw tears in Katherine's eyes, but they vanished almost immediately, and were replaced (if they were ever there) by a typical smirk. "Not bad, Lena. Not bad at all."

And that, with no life-threatening situations, was the highest praise they were likely to get.


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks passed without incident.

Rebekah and Katherine returned the unneeded dresses to their original owners, Elena paid for the one she wanted, and then Caroline took it with her to keep it safe, in case Stefan saw it accidentally.

As they reached the beginning of May, Elena arrived home to find Damon alone, surrounded by several power tools.

"Oh God … What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sound-proof the house." Damon answered distractedly. "I'm getting fed up of listening to you and Stefan going at it."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Me and Stefan? What about you and Katherine? You don't even have the decency to restrict it to the bedroom."

Damon snorted. "Oh, you're saying you and Stefan have never fooled around down here."

"Not while you're in the house!" Elena protested, too used to inappropriate conversations by now to even think of blushing. "I walked in on you three times last week alone!"

"Then you should have knocked." Damon pointed out.

Elena ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "It was the _kitchen_, Damon! I shouldn't have to knock!"

"Where's Stefan?" Damon asked, changing the subject.

Elena sighed. "He stayed behind at school to finish something. We do still need to graduate, you know."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Debatable. But good, Katherine's out, and I need to talk to you."

Elena gave him a look of mock-surprise. "Damon, are you up to something?"

"When am I not?" Damon smirked. "Seriously, though, Elena, we need to talk."

All humour dropped from Elena's expression and she leaned against the couch. "Go on."

Damon sighed. "Look, I know Katherine apologised to Stefan last November, but … Well, I don't think they've talked since."

"They have." Elena disagreed. "He asked her to distract me, so he could propose, remember?"

"Okay, so they've had small civil exchanges." Damon amended, rolling his eyes. "It's hardly a conversation, Elena. He still hasn't forgiven her, and he won't until they've talked. But Katherine won't take that step – she'll wait for him to."

"Okay …" Elena said slowly. "And?"

"And the longer it takes for that to happen, the more likely he is to snap." Damon finished.

"Ah." Elena muttered understandingly.

"Not that it bothers me whether he snaps," Damon added, "but if things get physical, no one's gonna be happy …"

"Damon …"

"… and if it happens too close to the wedding, they'll never recover from it in time …"

"Damon!" Elena repeated, cutting him off. "I agree with you in principle."

"In principle?" Damon questioned.

"You're planning something." Elena said flatly. "Your motive is sound; it's your method that concerns me. Spill."

"How about we go to Atlanta?" Damon asked.

Elena snorted. "Yeah, because a change of scenery will have Stefan rushing for a heart-to-heart."

"No." Damon set the drill down. "_We'll_ go to Atlanta. _They_ will stay here, and without us around to distract them, they'll have no choice but to talk."

"And when are we doing this?" Elena asked.

"Well, as soon as possible." Damon answered.

"I'm getting married in two months, Damon!" Elena protested. "Graduating in six weeks! I don't have time to go to Georgia!"

Damon gave her a charming smile. "All the more reason to go. Step out of your life for five minutes."

Elena shook her head. "Forget it, Damon. I'm not going to Georgia."

* * *

Georgia was inevitable, Elena decided two days later.

As Stefan had said early in their relationship, "What Damon wants, Damon usually gets", and she had long since learned to pick her battles.

Her grades were good enough that she could take a week or two out of school (amazing, really, given everything that had happened over the last two years), and, as for the wedding, there was nothing she couldn't do on the road.

She had just assumed that Damon would wait for her to realise that.

Instead, she had woken up in the front seat of the Camaro, the scenery speeding past her. Unlike the last time this had happened, she didn't spend any time being surprised or scared.

"Pull over, Damon."

"Good morning." Damon greeted cheerfully.

"That's not what I said." Elena growled. "Pull. Over."

With an exaggerated groan, Damon did as she asked, pulling to a stop at the side of the road. "I'm getting an annoying sense of déjà vu. Apparently you're still more fun when you're asleep."

"Don't start." Elena muttered, getting out of the car.

Damon was in front of her in a second. "Don't go running back now."

Elena glared at him. "You didn't have to kidnap me – I would have come willingly."

"In a few weeks, when it'd be too late." Damon finished. "Look, by my calculation, it'll take at least a week for Stefan to get desperate enough to confront her, and we're not going home until he does. We leave now, and we'll be back in Mystic Falls before the 23rd."

Elena had been trying not to think about the upcoming anniversary and, as such, had almost forgotten that it was approaching.

Damon's voice softened. "I figure you'll want to be with Stefan and Jeremy."

Elena sighed, silently conceding his point. "You could at least have warned me." She muttered, pulling her phone from her pocket. "I'm calling him."

Damon sighed, but didn't protest, and she didn't bother walking away from him, knowing that he would eavesdrop anyway.

_"Elena? Where are you?"_

"On the way to Georgia apparently." Elena answered, rolling her eyes. "Damon's got it into his head that you and Katherine need to talk, and you can't do that with us around."

_"So basically, you and Damon have run away together so your fiancé and his girlfriend, who happen to be each other's exes can have an emotional heart-to-heart."_

Elena giggled, relieved at the lack of anger in his voice. "Pretty much. Don't worry – I've got a plan."

_"A plan?" _Stefan asked dubiously.

"Trust me, Stefan." Elena smirked. "We'll be back before you know it. He'll break before you do."

"Whatever you're planning, Lena," Damon said warningly, "it's not going to work."

_"My money's on you, love." _Stefan told her. _"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Out of interest, how are you going to break him?"_

Elena's smirk grew as she looked at Damon, who was smart enough to look a little worried. "Two words. Wedding cake."

* * *

"Seriously?"

Elena rolled her eyes at Damon's outburst. She was amazed he'd held it in until they were in private really. "I know. Six hotels and only one room. At least there are enough beds this time." She muttered, remembering the trip to Denver that had the two of them and Jeremy trying to split two beds between three.

"That's not what I meant, Elena, and you know it." Damon growled. "What was all that about?"

"Damon, I have a wedding to plan, and we need a cake." Elena told him. "Deal with it. If I'm not in Mystic Falls, I have to look around Georgia."

"But five bakeries?" Damon questioned. "_Five_?"

"Well, before I decide what I want the cake to look like, I need to know what kind of cake I want." Elena pointed out reasonably.

"Sponge, fruit, chocolate." Damon listed. "You have three options, what is so hard about that?!"

"Everywhere makes it differently." Elena said, rooting through her bag. "So we go, we sample, we figure out which one I like best, and that's the bakery that makes the cake."

Damon sighed. "Are you going to drag me to every bakery in Georgia?"

"Well, I wasn't going to." Elena admitted. "Did you pack this bag for me?"

"Yes." Damon responded. "Why?"

Elena zipped it shut. "Because my underwear's in there."

"Well, obviously." Damon said, rolling his eyes.

"I warned you I'd make you pay if you went through my underwear drawer again." Elena reminded him darkly. "So, yes, I am going to drag you to every bakery in Georgia!"

"You're a vampire, Elena!" Damon hissed. "You don't need to eat!"

"The guests do." Elena said. "And you're the one that ordered room service." She added, when there was a knock at the door.

"Why do you need the perfect cake anyway?" Damon asked, opening the door. "It's not the cake you're marrying."

"It's my wedding, Damon!" Elena argued. "I _want_ the perfect cake."

"Lovers' spat?" The maid asked cheerfully, wheeling the cart into the room.

"No, he's my future brother-in-law." Elena said, without looking at her. "He's just being a dick."

"Crap." The woman muttered under her breath. "Do you mind if I get rid of this band-aid in your trash? The manager will kill me if it comes off in the hall."

"Go ahead." Damon said absently. "Elena, you sampled, like, five hundred cakes today, how is there not one you like?"

"There were ones that I liked!" Elena said sweetly. "They just weren't _the_ one that I like." She would have laughed at the disgruntled expression on Damon's face, but the smell of blood had suddenly hit her.

She glanced at the maid, who was dropping her band-aid in the trash can. The cut on her arm wasn't bad, wasn't even producing a lot of blood, but the smell was overwhelming, and Elena felt herself begin to react.

"Damon …"

Any irritation had faded from Damon's face, and he stepped towards the maid, who was watching her face change in frozen horror.

"There is nothing strange about us." He told her flatly. "You took off your band-aid, threw it away, and left. That's it. Now leave."

She nodded blankly and left the room. Damon shut the door and locked it, before pulling a blood bag from his case and giving it to Elena. "Here. Drink."

Tearing the bag open, Elena gulped it down, feeling it spread through her veins, warming her from the inside out.

"Did you feed today?" Damon asked lowly, when she'd finished.

"When you did." Elena reminded him, tossing the bag to one side. "You know that." She was still on edge, her gums aching in a way they hadn't since she first turned.

Her fangs were still extended, her cheeks burning, and her gaze fixed on the door, on the lingering scent of blood.

She could catch up with that woman, easily. Visions of teeth ripping through flesh flashed through her mind, and the demon inside her almost purred with approval.

"Elena," Damon said slowly. "Are you alright?"

Elena's eyes darted from the door to him and back again. "What's happening to me?"

"I don't know, Lena." Damon said, approaching her cautiously. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Elena swallowed hard, blood creeping into her eyes. "I'm still so hungry … I want to feed on her, Damon … I want …"

"No, you don't." Damon seized her shoulder as she made to leave the room. "You don't."

"Let me go, Damon." Elena growled.

Damon shook his head. "No, Elena, you don't want this. I don't want this."

Humanity flickered in Elena's eyes for a second. "The sire bond, Damon." She whispered. "Keep me here. Please!"

"Elena, it would make me very happy if you stayed here." Damon told her, his voice slow and steady. "I want you to stay here and regain control."

But it didn't seem to be working.

With another snarl, Elena broke free from his grip and blurred towards the door. Damon reached it before she did, slamming her against the wood, his hand gripping her throat.

"Enough!"

When she continued to fight him, he allowed the blood to seep into his own eyes, the veins in his face popping.

"Stop. I am older, Elena, the kill is _mine_."

For a second, there was a tense stand-off, but slowly the demon within Elena bowed to her elder with a grumble, retreating back inside her.

Her face began to relax, and she crumpled as the first sob racked her body. Quickly looping an arm around her, Damon led her over to one of the beds so she could sit down.

"What happened?!"

"I don't know, Lena." Damon murmured, stroking her hair. "I don't know. Do you want me to take you home?"

Elena shook her head. "Not now, not like this. It's bad enough thinking I could attack a stranger, but what if that had been Jeremy? Or Matt? Why am I suddenly losing control again?"

Damon shook his head, his mind racing. "The sire bond didn't work." He murmured. "It must have broken."

"When?" Elena asked, beginning to calm down. "I didn't feel it."

"Well, you wouldn't." Damon conceded. "We've been managing it too well. But … What if it broke, because you're mad at me?"

"I'm not _that_ mad at you." Elena muttered, wiping her eyes.

"You're mad enough to go against what I want." Damon pointed out, handing her a tissue. "Even if it is about something as dumb as cake."

"Cake is not dumb!" Elena protested. "I happen to like cake."

Damon sighed, not letting her change the subject. "Elena, I think this my fault. I may not have said it out loud, made a conscious decision not to, actually, but I wanted you to have control, and subconsciously you knew that. I think the sire bond may have influenced your control somewhat."

"So what now?" Elena asked nervously. "I lose it? Go on a killing spree?"

"Elena, I'm hurt." Damon frowned. "Do you really think I'd let you do that? Maybe we should go back …"

"No!" Elena repeated. "Damon, I can't risk it! Besides, this is the one shot we have of getting those two talking again, and you're right – it does need to happen before things get even _more_ awkward."

"Alright." Damon agreed. "But I'm calling Stefan." He received no argument, and released her in favour of stepping into the bathroom for some privacy, dialling Stefan's number as he did so.

_"Hello?"_

"I have good news and bad news." Damon told his brother by way of greeting.

_"Why do I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this?"_

Damon grimaced. "The sire bond's broken."

Stefan waited for a few moments, before asking, _"Is that the good news or the bad news?"_

"Both. Seems that the sire bond was at least partially responsible for Elena's oh-so-immaculate control. The maid had a cut and Elena nearly tore her apart. Had to physically hold her back."

_"Crap. What …?"_

"Here's what's gonna happen." Damon interrupted. "Elena and I are going to stay where we are. She doesn't want to go back to Mystic Falls in this state in case she eats someone she cares about, which I think we can agree would be marginally worse for her than a complete stranger."

_"Maybe I should come out and help."_

Damon snorted. "You help someone control human blood? Talk about the blind leading the blind. Look, you handle stuff in Mystic Falls, try and make some kind of peace before the wedding, and let me look after Elena. I sired her, Stefan, even if it was unwittingly. She's my responsibility."

_"And she won't feel as bad if something goes wrong around you." _Stefan finished. _"I know. Last thing she needs is to be worrying about how it's going to affect me."_

"Exactly." Damon agreed. "So get to it. With any luck, this'll distract her from torturing me with cake."

Stefan chuckled. _"Oh, I wouldn't count on it, brother. Not for one second."_


	8. Chapter 8

Katherine knew it was only a matter of time before Stefan confronted her.

She always knew that to be the case, but now Damon and Elena were out of town, it was doubly true.

For the first few days, worried about Elena's sudden relapse, Stefan had avoided her even more than usual, and Katherine had to admit that was a good thing. He was in no state to have a reasonable discussion, not while he was that on edge.

What had surprised her was that he had avoided her, first by hanging out with Caroline (unsurprising), then Jeremy (a little more surprising, but not by much), and finally by going to Klaus (very surprising).

Stefan hadn't had a conversation with Klaus that hadn't involved blackmail, threats or human blood since the 20s, but Katherine knew that, Ripper or not, they had been genuine friends in those days, and it looked like they were on the path to getting that way again.

Six days after Damon and Elena had left, Stefan strode into the living room, his face set, and tossed a book in her direction.

Katherine caught it warily, glancing at the plain leather cover, its lack of title belying is status as a journal.

"Read it." Stefan said flatly. "Take your time. I'll wait."

Silently, Katherine opened the book to the first page, skimming through the first few entries until she reached the date of her arrival in Mystic Falls.

_Looks like it's time._

It wasn't surprising that Stefan had chosen now. Damon's last phone call had suggested that Elena was doing much better, almost back to her original level of control.

Now at the part of the journal she was sure he wanted her to see, Katherine slowed down, seeing through his eyes her appearance, Damon's return – first temporary, then more permanent -, the slowly evolving romance between not two but three of them, his pain and confusion over the whole thing.

She stopped reading after his transition, just before the blood lust had completely taken over, when he had realised the compulsion, and the fact that he didn't truly love her, and the fact that she couldn't have truly loved him.

"'I just don't understand'." She read softly. "'Why would she do this to me?'" She looked up. "Is that what you're asking?"

"I just want to know, Katherine." Stefan said tiredly. "What was going through your head? Why did you act the way you did? And don't say you told me, because you only told me bits and pieces. That was a band-aid explanation and you know it. Tell me what I need to hear to get me to trust you enough to live with you."

"To think clearly about Elena." Katherine corrected. "I wasn't planning on sticking around at that point." She set the journal to one side, taking a deep breath. "What exactly do you want to know? Be specific, so I don't ramble."

Stefan sank into the chair across from her, watching her intently. "Alright, you said that your humanity was off when we met."

"It was." Katherine confirmed.

"But why switch it off?" Stefan asked. "I mean, I switched off to deal with grief, Damon switched off to deal with pain, but you …"

"I don't care." Katherine finished flatly. "So why would I want to switch off when I could enjoy the killing and torturing and bloodlust, right?"

Stefan managed a small smile. "Well, I wasn't going to say it like that."

Katherine sighed. "The problem we have here, Stefan, is that if I tell you the truth, you won't believe it."

Stefan smirked. "That's why I went to Bonnie." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small glass orb, almost like a snow globe, which he set on the coffee table. "It's a …"

"It's a Truth-Globe." Katherine finished. "Emily used one when I first met her to make sure I meant her no harm."

"Care to test it?" Stefan asked.

Katherine sighed again. "Alright. I only rarely kill for food. If I kill, it's to protect myself or to prove a point, get revenge, etc. Killing for food is messy, it leaves bodies and gets people suspicious. I flipped the switch because I was lonely. My daughter had died, the rest of my family was slaughtered, and Klaus would kill anyone I cared about, so I figured …"

"If you couldn't care, it wouldn't be a problem." Stefan finished, frowning at the globe, which had done nothing.

"Just in case you think it's faulty," Katherine said, with a weak smirk, "I never loved my daughter."

Instantly, the globe lit up blue, humming softly.

"That was a lie." Stefan stated, looking at her. "Daughter?"

"So Elena never told you." Katherine said quietly. "I didn't think she had." Her gaze dropped to her lap and she fidgeted slightly, wanting nothing more than to run from the house, preferably not stopping until she was in another country.

"Katherine," Stefan said firmly, "you're safe now. Whatever you tell me is not going to be used against you. You can trust me with this."  
Katherine choked out a laugh. "Of the two of us, Stefan, your honour has never been called into question. You don't need to convince me of that."

"But I do." Stefan disagreed, watching her closely. "Because I don't think you've ever been able to trust anyone. Have you?"

Katherine stood shakily, walking over to pour herself a generous measure of bourbon, draining it in one. "Are you sure you need me to tell you anything?"

"Yes." Stefan answered. "Of course I do. You had a daughter?"

"When I was fifteen." Katherine confirmed. "She was the reason my parents disowned me, sent me to England …"  
"Where you met Klaus and Elijah." Stefan completed. "I know that part. What happened in 1864?"

Katherine grimaced. "Mystic Falls wasn't supposed to be any different from any other place I'd been, right down to your attraction to me. That had happened everywhere, and it was very convenient."

"Convenient?" Stefan questioned.

"It was just you, Damon and your father." Katherine reminded him. "No women except the maids, who didn't count. The proper thing for your father to do, once he'd offered me a place to stay following my family's deaths, would be to find me somewhere more appropriate to stay, and nowhere in Mystic Falls fit that description. They all had daughters my age."

"So didn't want to risk ruining their daughter's chance of finding a husband." Stefan muttered. "And if Father thought he could marry me off to you, he'd let you stay."  
"Exactly." Katherine agreed. "That was all it was supposed to be and then Damon came back on leave and … I felt things. For the first time in three hundred years, I felt things. Concern, to begin with; he was hardly the soldier type – but attraction kicked in very quickly. We were … together the night before he left to return to war."

"So that's why he extended his leave." Stefan murmured.

"He didn't extend his leave." Katherine told him darkly. "He deserted. Your father nearly reported him."

"So why …?" Stefan's face cleared. "You stopped him, didn't you?"

Katherine nodded. "That happened later. I wasn't expecting him to come back. I thought I was getting him out of my system and …"  
"You had to accept my invitation to the Founders' Ball." Stefan guessed. "So my father would think all was well."

Katherine nodded, settling on to the opposite end of the couch. "And then you told me that you were falling in love with me. For the first time, I felt … I felt a little guilty. I brushed it off until a week later."

"When I found out what you are." Stefan scowled.

Katherine smiled slightly. "You were disgusted. Should have been my first indication that you weren't as in love with me as you thought. Like I said, my compulsion was purely to stop you from telling anyone."

"Then why not compel that?" Stefan asked. "Deal with it how you want in private, but don't let on in public, that kind of thing."

Katherine sighed. "First of all, loophole city. Second of all, compelling you to be by my side all day when you were completely terrified of me? My humanity switch was beginning to waver, and that was a level of cruelty I didn't want to stoop to."

"But …"

"What were my other options?" Katherine asked tiredly. "Compel you to forget? That would have done the same thing. I suppose I could have just killed you, but …"

"Speaking of killing," Stefan interrupted. "Rosalyn."

"Rosalyn?" Katherine asked.

"Yes, Rosalyn." Stefan repeated. "The girl I was going to marry. The girl you killed."

Katherine frowned. "Yes to the first. No to the second. If memory serves, she was killed …"

"Three days after you arrived in town." Stefan finished coldly. "The one person in the way of you staying with us permanently."  
Katherine rolled her eyes. "Compulsion would have worked. You didn't really love her, Stefan – you weren't even properly engaged. Just talks between her family and your father. And," she added, before Stefan could protest, "I didn't kill her." She pointed to the clear, silent globe. "If you want extra proof, you can ask Damon. I'm fairly sure you came back from seeing her just before I left the grounds for a walk …"

"I did." Stefan agreed.

"… I was with Emily for about ten minutes, and with Damon after that." Katherine concluded. "Emily would never have stood by and let me kill someone, and while Damon _might _have done, I doubt it. Not back then."

"I don't need extra proof." Stefan sighed. "But thank you. Do you have any idea …?"  
"No." Katherine admitted. "It may have been Noah. He was always very fond of me and I had mentioned to Pearl in his hearing that I was planning on using your attraction to me to stay in Mystic Falls. She mentioned that Rosalyn might be a problem and … and he was unhinged enough to do that."

"Noah?" Stefan asked, obviously trying to match a name to one of the tomb vampires.

"He was one that got away." Katherine told him. "Sources tell me he stalked Elena before you staked him."

"Oh. Dimwit." Stefan remembered.

Katherine sniggered. "Yeah, that's him."

Stefan nodded, thinking for a second. "Sorry, we got off topic. I found out what you were, you compelled me not to be afraid, and then …?"

"Then I told Damon what I was." Katherine continued. "Of the two of you, I was expecting you to handle it better, I guess I was … morbidly curious, you could say, to see how he'd take it."

"And how did he take it?" Stefan asked quietly.

A smile touched Katherine's face as she felt the ghost of an embrace, remembering how fear had entered Damon's eyes for a split-second, only to be replaced by the same pure love that had been there originally. "He told me that … that it didn't matter to him. That he loved me no matter what."

"That triggered your humanity?" Stefan guessed.

"Almost." Katherine grimaced. "I got out of there quickly, obviously. I didn't _want _to feel again. And then … I went for a walk to clear my head and ran into your father. He was preoccupied, but I figured out that he was about to send a letter to the Confederate Army."

Stefan's jaw clenched. "He was going to sell Damon out. They would have killed him."

Katherine nodded. "I've never been so angry, Stefan. Luckily for your father, my fear won out, or I swear I would have killed him. He said that there came a time when a man had to decide whether his loyalty was to his family or to his country."

Stefan shook his head. "Yeah, that was our father. There was a time I admired him for that."

Katherine smiled sadly. "I wanted to tell him that if he'd ever lost a child, he'd be singing a different tune."

To her surprise, Stefan reached over and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "So fear for Damon switched your humanity back on? And then what?"

Katherine shrugged. "I told you. I loved you. I was in love with Damon, but I did love you. And … I hadn't realised that your feelings had been affected by my compulsion … You two were the first people to genuinely love me, since … since my mother … I didn't want to lose you. I was selfish. And scared. I'm sorry."

Stefan watched the globe sit quietly on the coffee table, belying the fact that she was telling the truth. "But you've always said that you'll put yourself before anyone else. Better you die than I, remember?"

"Just because I'll save myself over anyone else doesn't mean I don't care." Katherine pointed out. "I've just learnt that caring too much will get me killed, that people are always waiting for you to let something slip, like vultures."

Stefan didn't respond, waiting for her to regain her composure. Her shoulders relaxed slightly and she reclined back against the arm of the couch, tucking her feet under him, shooting him a smile. "Was there anything else you wanted to know?"

Stefan began to shake his head, but stopped. "Do you know why Damon took it so well? I mean, Elena freaked out, like I did, but you said …"

"No." Katherine interrupted. "Elena was scared. And probably a little bit mad that she had to figure it out rather than be told. _Damon_ was scared, it just disappeared faster than Elena's. And, remember, Damon was a soldier, and I don't think he'd connected the bodies in the woods to vampires yet, whereas Elena had, right?"

Stefan nodded, suspicion forming in his eyes. "You were watching her, weren't you?"

Katherine laughed. "She was the doppelganger. Of course I was watching her." She sighed. "I wasn't sure, actually. It could have been Isobel for all I knew."

"Isobel looked nothing like you." Stefan argued.

Katherine raised an eyebrow. "Yes, she did. Not very much, I'll admit. But all I knew was that I looked 'just like' Tatia. According to several people in Mystic Falls, you and Damon look 'just like' each other. How was I to know how close the resemblance had to be? Until Elena was fourteen, I wasn't sure. It's not like I had pictures of me as a child to compare her to."

"But you watched her anyway?" Stefan asked.

"Actually, I was planning on handing her over to Klaus." Katherine admitted. "Once I figured it out, I mean. And then, when Elena was a year old, her mom was in hospital having Jeremy and she was staying with Matt's mom. She had a nightmare and started crying … What was I supposed to do? Ignore her?"

"I would have expected you to." Stefan said.

Katherine shook her head. "You don't stop being a mother, Stefan. However old your child is or however long it's been since they died. You don't stop. The instincts are still there. And as soon as I laid eyes on that little girl, I knew I couldn't hand her over to Klaus." She leaned towards him, lowering her voice. "So saying, if you _ever_ hurt her, I will rip you limb from limb." She smiled. "And I mean that in the nicest way."

Stefan shifted almost nervously. "You know I don't intend to hurt her, Kat."

"I know." Katherine sat back, her smile growing. "It's been a long time since you've called me that."

"Well," Stefan gave her the first genuine smile she'd seen directed towards her since he was human, "turns out you're not quite as much of a bitch as I thought."

"Any other woman would take that as an insult." Katherine said mildly. "I, however, am a realist, so I won't."

"Out of interest," Stefan said, "how much of this does Damon know?"

"Most of it." Katherine answered. "I haven't told him about my daughter yet, I … it's not a topic I like talking about and … Well, it's difficult."

"But you will?" Stefan prompted.

Katherine smiled weakly. "Of course I will. When the time's right. I haven't told him about your father either. Part of me wants to, but the rest … He already has trouble knowing how bad their relationship was, do I really need to add to that?"

"I think anything that makes Damon realise that he's not a bad son for hating our father is worth it." Stefan told her. "But it's your call. I trust you."

"Thank you." Katherine said calmly, but his words seemed to hang in the air long after they'd been said. She didn't think he'd ever realise just what they meant to her.

* * *

**AN: I am aware that Katherine is OOC. We all know that, under normal circumstances, Katherine would rather stake herself than show any kind of vulnerability. However, now she has her freedom, she is operating under a different set of rules. She just wants to live her life now, and if that means being honest, that's what she's going to have to do. I am also aware that Katherine did kill Rosalyn in whatever canon 'Stefan's Diaries' was involved in. er humanity was off, which meant that she didn't love Stefan (yet), and she could just have easily compelled Giuseppe into letting her stay - killing Rosalyn would draw attention to herself. Katherine is/was still a manipulative woman who killed without guilt or second thought. However, she was also very intelligent - she would know that a lot of bodies was an easy way to draw attention to themselves; the easiest way not to leave bodies - don't kill when you feed.**


	9. Chapter 9

Following Katherine's unguarded show of honesty, she and Stefan had talked long into the night, testing the waters to see what kind of friendship could form once the misunderstandings and lies were out of the way.

At some point, they called Damon and Elena to let them know that the path was clear for them to return home and, the following afternoon, the Camaro pulled up outside the boarding house.

"If I ever see another piece of cake, it will be too soon." Damon muttered, getting out of the car. "And you went with fucking vanilla sponge in the end. Was it really necessary I try every single sample?"

"Well, I couldn't try them all." Elena said sweetly. "I've got to fit into a wedding dress."

"Vampires don't put on weight!" Damon snapped.

"I wasn't taking any chances." Elena told him. "We could have come home, you know. I've been in control enough for a few days."

Damon snorted. "Do you really think I'd let you win?"

"No." Elena admitted. "But it was worth a try. Thank you for your help."

"I'm your sire, I'm supposed to do these things." Damon said dismissively.

"I meant with the cake." Elena elaborated, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he let them into the house. "I know I was a bit of a Bridezilla."

"No, I think she was a bit calmer about the whole thing." Damon told her.

Elena laughed. "Where are they? You don't think they lied on the phone, do you?"

Damon stuck his head into the living room. "I don't think so. Look."

Elena followed him, a fond smile crossing her face. They had clearly fallen asleep mid-conversation, at opposite ends of the couch. "Don't wake them." She told him softly. "Let them sleep."

"They don't need the rest." Damon argued, but followed her through to the kitchen anyway.

"Have you ever thought about it?" Elena asked, putting on a pot of coffee and noting down the details of the bakery she had chosen.

"Resting?" Damon questioned. "After the amount of cake you made me eat …"

"No." Elena interrupted, giving him a knowing look. "Katherine."

"Oh, she's never far from my mind." Damon said, with a salacious grin.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Marrying her. Have you ever thought about marrying her?"

"We're not all playing the human game, Elena." Damon told her dismissively. "Marriage is a human convention invented to reassure insecure men than the children they were bestowing all of their worldly goods upon really were theirs and that their women hadn't been playing away."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "Thank you, Professor Damon, but I didn't ask for the origins of the tradition."

Damon sighed. "There was a time I thought of nothing else." He admitted quietly. "But now … things are different. We're different. I don't think either of us needs a piece of paper to say that we love each other."

"Well, Stefan and I don't _need_ one." Elena pointed out. "It won't be legal anyway, since all of Stefan's records are forged and we're both technically dead."

"Then why are you doing it?" Damon asked.

"Because we want to." Elena answered with a shrug. "I don't know about Stefan, but … I want to be his wife. I … I just do." She opened a blood bag and emptied it into two mugs, setting them in the microwave. "Your turn."

Damon was silent for a few minutes, and she waited patiently, handing him one of the mugs when the microwave finished.

"Yes, I think about it sometimes." He admitted finally. "But things _are_ different, Elena. We've changed and, honestly, I don't think I could ask her."

"You don't trust her." Elena concluded.

"I do!" Damon argued. "I just …" He grimaced. "I don't know, Elena. I love her, and I've forgiven her for everything, but … I don't know if I could put myself out there like that … The last time I did it, it didn't exactly end well …"

"You ended up back together." Elena pointed out.

"No, that was _Katherine_ putting herself out there." Damon corrected. "The last time I put myself out there was when she first came back to Mystic Falls, and she told me … she told me that she never loved me."

"And that was a lie." Elena finished softly. "And you know why. You said you'd forgiven her …"

"And I have." Damon insisted. "But I can't forget, Lena."

"I'm not saying you have to." Elena said gently. "But you can't say you forgive her and then continue to punish her." She paused. "I'm not sure 'punish' is the right word, but you get my drift." She glanced towards the living room as the other two began to stir. "Just think about it."

Stefan ambled in to the kitchen a moment later, his eyes lighting up when they fell on her. "You're home!"

"You're awake." Elena teased, kissing his cheek. "Nice nap?"

Stefan rolled his eyes. "I didn't sleep until four this morning." He cupped her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Better." Elena assured him. "Much better. We just went back to the beginning with the blood bags and I was back on track fairly quickly."

"Good." Stefan leaned in to kiss her, but Elena placed a finger on his lips.

"Hang on." She warned, pouring a glass of water and taking a quick gulp. "Okay. Now you may kiss me."

"God, you're nauseating." Damon remarked, as Stefan did as he was told. "What was the water for?"

"I just drank human blood." Elena pointed out, when she came up for unnecessary air. "No point in poking a sleeping dragon."

"Someone's been reading too many Harry Potter novels." Katherine remarked from the doorway.

"Someone caught the reference and has no room to talk." Elena shot back good-naturedly.

Damon's arms snaked their way around Katherine's waist and pulled her to him. "Hi."

"Hi." Katherine tilted her head. "What's wrong with you?"

"She made me eat cake." Damon told her in a hushed whisper. "A lot of cake. It was terrifying."

"Well, it's a difficult choice to make." Katherine said reasonably. "Every bakery makes them differently – and she has a wedding dress to fit in to."

Damon scowled. "It's a conspiracy." He muttered, releasing her in favour of stalking out of the room.

"Oh dear." Katherine said unconcernedly.

Elena bit her lip. "Do you think I went a bit too far with the coffee shops?"

"Coffee shops don't do wedding cakes." Stefan pointed out.

"You'd be surprised what sympathetic baristas will do when you explain that your brother-in-law's being difficult." Elena said dryly.

Katherine laughed. "'Went too far' – Elena, that's genius!"

"Now I _know_ I went too far." Elena stated.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Relax. I'll go and calm him down."

"Close the door." Elena told her as she left. "The sound-proofing's in now; we might get away with not hearing you for once." Without waiting for a response, she turned to Stefan. "Something occurred to me on the way home – how many groomsmen do you have?"

"Including Damon? Three." Stefan answered. "Him, Matt and Tyler."

"Crap." Elena sighed.

"What is it?" Stefan asked.

"The second dance." Elena said absently, her mind racing. "The first dance is us, obviously, but the second dance, the best man and the maid of honour join them, and then the other people in the wedding party pair off. I've got four bridemaids, including Bonnie."

Choosing a maid of honour had not been an easy task for Elena, because she considered Caroline and Bonnie to both be her best friends.

In the end, Caroline had come up with a solution; she would be the maid of honour for the planning stage, and Bonnie would handle the on-the-day tasks.

"I suppose Jeremy could do it." Elena continued thoughtfully. "Unless there's someone else you can ask."

Stefan nodded. "I can think of someone."

Elena sighed in relief. "Good, thank you." She kissed him again quickly. "I'm going to go change and unpack."

"Alright." Stefan caught her arm before she could leave, pulling her back for a proper kiss. "I love you." He whispered as they parted.

Elena smiled brightly. "I love you too." With a quick squeeze of his hand, she had blurred up the stairs, and Stefan pulled out his cell-phone, scrolling through the numbers until he found the one he wanted.

It rang three times before someone answered.

_"Stefan. Is there a problem?"_

"Not at all, Nik." Stefan assured him, having fallen back into the habit of using Rebekah's nickname for her older brother. "But I need a favour …"

* * *

Elena was a little startled by Stefan's choice of a fourth groomsman, but not overly so. He had confided in her shortly before he proposed that part of him couldn't help missing the man who had been his best friend in the 20s, the same way he hadn't been able to help missing the man Damon had been before he switched his humanity off in the 70s.

Now, it looked like Stefan was getting them both back.

She was glad. With Lexi gone, it felt like his only friends were her friends, although Caroline had long since become a friend of Stefan's in her own right.

Elena was just putting the last of her clothes away, when her phone rang, Tyler's face blinking up at her.

"Hi Tyler," she greeted, pausing in her unpacking. "Something wrong?"

_"No, relax." _Tyler responded, sounding amused. _"We all need to stop getting so paranoid."_

"Well, you and I rarely talk on the phone." Elena pointed out, shutting the closet door. "What's up?"

_"I was wondering if it would be alright if I brought a date to the wedding."_

"Yes, of course." Elena told him with a smile. "I assume you're talking about Hayley?"

_"Caroline." _Tyler assumed. _"Yes, I'm talking about Hayley. We're going dress shopping tomorrow."_

_"Tyler, you don't have to do that." _An unfamiliar female voice protested.

"No, you don't." Elena agreed. "Face it, Tyler, your fashion sense is awful. Have her meet me and Caroline at the mall tomorrow – _we'll_ take her shopping."

* * *

Hayley watched as Tyler's expression became slightly indignant, then softened. "She says she and Caroline will take you shopping." He told her, setting the phone on speaker.

"You don't have to." Hayley insisted, now talking to the phone.

_"Yes, I do._" A voice she assumed was Elena's disagreed. _"Tyler's stubborn as hell, you're not getting out of it. And trust me when I say you want us over him. Remember the time Mom asked you to pick up the dresses for the Miss Mystic Pageant?"_

"That was an honest mistake!" Tyler protested. "And I was younger then!"

_"It was two years ago, and you picked up Halloween costumes!"_ Elena told him. _"And I'm not taking no for an answer, Hayley. I don't often pull the 'I'm the bride; it's my wedding' card, but I am."_

Hayley sighed slightly. "Alright. Thank you, Elena."

_"You're very welcome." _Elena said cheerfully. _"Care and I will pick you up tomorrow at ten. Oh," _she added, before Tyler could pick up the phone to end the call, _"Tyler, Stefan has asked you to be a groomsman, hasn't he?"_

"Yeah, we went out for a drink a few weeks ago." Tyler assured her with a grin.

Elena sighed. _"Just checking he hadn't just assumed it was implicit. See you tomorrow."_

"See you, Lenny." Tyler said, hanging up quickly. "She hates that name." He informed Hayley. "She hated any shortened version of her name, actually, and then Damon shortened it to Lena and she said nothing. Then again," he added thoughtfully, "if she had, he'd probably have done it all the more."

Hayley sniggered, letting him loop an arm around her shoulders. "I can't wait to meet them all." She said. "Did you really pick up Halloween costumes?"

"Yeah." Tyler admitted. "But it wasn't an accident. That pageant is so stuffy, and overrated, and those girls all treat it like it's the be all and end all. And if they don't win … I just thought they could use a laugh. Her mom was disappointed, mine was furious, and don't get me started on my dad."

"I can't imagine your mom being furious." Hayley commented.

Carol Lockwood had been very kind to her, refusing to let her stay in a hotel when they had plenty of spare rooms.

"Yeah, well, she's mellowed since Dad died." Tyler said darkly. "And since she found out what I am. A year ago, we would not have been … Okay, maybe a year ago, but not much longer than that. We wouldn't have been sitting here, that's for sure. She's got better at judging people for who they are, rather than what they are. And I don't just mean supernatural creatures either."

Hayley nodded understandingly, her gaze turning to the window. "The full moon's tonight." She whispered. "Where can I …?"

"Oh crap." Tyler muttered. "Sorry, Hayley, I completely forgot. There's an old cellar in the woods that I used to use. We'll head out there in an hour or two."

"We?" Hayley repeated. "You don't have to change anymore."

"And you think I'm going to leave you to do that by yourself?" Tyler asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not happening, Hails." Tugging her into his side, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll stay with you."

"There are times I wish I was a hybrid." Hayley whispered, resting her head on his shoulder. "Every full moon being most of them."

Tyler smiled weakly. "You'd be the only one with a sire bond though. And Klaus can't create anymore now Elena's dead." He hesitated. "You still haven't told me why you came looking for me."

"I missed you." Hayley answered.

Tyler shook his head. "It's more than that."

Hayley sighed. "The pack's split. Jerry and the others were getting a little loud."

Tyler grimaced sympathetically. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told Caroline that half the pack he had stayed hadn't been too fond of him – if anything, he'd been understating. Jerry had been the alpha of the pack, one of the wolves who hadn't liked or trusted Tyler at all. Tyler had handled it by staying on the outskirts, dealing with the lower ranking members of the pack, and avoiding those who didn't trust him.

Because it hadn't just been Tyler that had divided the pack – those in charge, and a few others, had been far more violent than Hayley and the wolves that had helped Tyler – and the last thing Tyler had wanted to do was cause a fight among them.

"So they've gone?" He asked.

Hayley grimaced. "Well, we did. Their territory and all."

Tyler nodded understandingly. "So it's you and the others, then? Where are you based?"

"Not far out of town." Hayley answered. "At least they should be now. We headed to Florida, since that's where you said you were, but you weren't. So I volunteered to go ahead and track you down …"

"Why were you all looking for me?" Tyler interrupted.

Hayley frowned slightly. "Well, that's obvious, isn't it?"

"Humour me." Tyler requested. "It's been a long day."

"We haven't done anything." Hayley pointed out, smirking.

"We watched a lot of chick flicks." Tyler corrected. "None of which I thought you'd ever be interested in."

Hayley shrugged. "We don't watch a lot of movies living the way we do. And I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Tyler, we need an alpha."

"Well, obviously." Tyler said, rolling his eyes. "Steve's the oldest, right?"

"But _you're_ a hybrid." Hayley pointed out. "We're in agreement. Steve says he'll take it if you don't want it, but he's much happier as a beta." She dropped her gaze to her lap. "I want you to take it, if that means anything. And I know you have your pack here, but …"

"I don't have a pack here." Tyler disagreed.

"Yeah, you do." Hayley looked at him incredulously. "You haven't noticed? The way you talk about your friends here – they're your pack, Ty."

"They're not wolves." Tyler pointed out.

"But they're your family." Hayley said. "Even if they're not. Which _makes_ them your pack. You said you had trouble with that Damon guy, right?"

"Yeah." Tyler said slowly. "Caroline says it's because we're trying to 'out-alpha-male' each other."

"You are." Hayley agreed. "Everyone looks to him for guidance – because he knows what he's doing, presumably. But your wolf is telling you that you're the alpha, so it bugs you."

"Oh." Tyler grimaced. "I don't know, Hails. I wanna help you, I do, but … I'm all my mom's got now, y'know? Unless … unless we stay near Mystic Falls."

"We can do that." Hayley agreed immediately. "I know we've always travelled around, but we can put down roots for once. It'd be nice. As long as we had somewhere safe to transform."

"The mountains." Tyler said thoughtfully. "The mountains would be safe enough. They're far enough away from the town, and no one's up there. Just the wild wolves. The cellar's not big enough for all eight of you."

"So you'll do it?" Hayley asked.

Tyler sighed in mock-irritation. "Alright, I'll do it, but …" he cut himself off with a chuckle as she threw her arms around him. "But," he repeated, loosening her grip slightly to look her in the eye. "I'm going to need help. Every alpha male needs an alpha female, right?"  
"Me?" Hayley asked in surprise. "Why me?"

Tyler shrugged with a smile. "You're smart. You're strong. You know what you're doing, unlike some of us, namely me." His smile softened as she sniggered. "And I want it to be you."

"But why?" Hayley repeated.

Tyler tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, brushing a kiss against her lips. "I suppose saying 'because I love you' is a little melodramatic?"

"And cheesy." Hayley added, wrinkling her nose. "And cliché." She smiled suddenly. "But I'll take it."

"Alright." Tyler said, grinning at her. "Because I love you."

Hayley pulled him in for another kiss. "I love you too."

* * *

**AN: Don't worry, Damon will revisit his inner turmoil in the near future (in the next story). For now, we await the next chapter, in which the wedding finally takes place. Please review and let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Normally, I'd try to write the song lyrics out, but I can't make it work this time. I don't own the song in question - it is 'Endless Love' by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross, and all credit goes to its writers and composers and performers and whoever else may have rights to it.**

* * *

_It had been the summer of many weddings, and seven-year-old Elena Gilbert had been utterly fascinated by the whole thing._

_At each event, she bombarded her parents with questions._

_Why were all the brides dressed the same?_

_Why did her father walk her down the aisle?_

_What did the rings mean?_

_Why were they getting married?_

_Why did the bride throw her flowers during the reception?_

_Why did the bride's mother always cry?_

_After the last wedding, Elena had decided that it was high time she had one as well. Her parents weren't too concerned by her sudden announcement, especially since she seemed more focused on the wedding than actually having someone to marry and, since they had the day off, they were only too happy to indulge her childish imagination._

_Her stuffed animals were set out on the lawn, making up the congregation, Elena had put on one of her dresses, and Grayson Gilbert had agreed to 'give his daughter away'._

_"Wait a minute!" Elena's mother called, hurrying out of the house. "Every bride needs a veil, honey." She added, producing one._

_It looked suspiciously like an old pillow-case, but Elena didn't care. She had to be reminded several times to hold still so her mother could fasten it on, and tuck her hair out of the way._

_"You make a beautiful bride, Elena." Miranda whispered._

* * *

"Oh my God, here she is!" Caroline whispered, just avoiding a squeal.

Elena had just entered the church foyer on Jeremy's arm, one hand clutching a bouquet of white roses and dark green ivy. They had been the last to depart the Gilbert house, although her bridesmaids had stayed the night before to help her into her dress that morning.

The rest of the wedding party (bar Stefan and Damon) were gathered in the small atrium, waiting for her, the women dressed in identical dresses of fuchsia, their skirts sweeping the floor elegantly.

"Oh my God, Elena, you look so beautiful!" Caroline sighed.

Elena laughed. "You saw me twenty minutes ago, Care."

"I know." Caroline sighed. "But it doesn't stop being true."

"Okay." Bonnie said, checking the time, cutting off any further gushings. "Tyler, you take Katherine first, then Klaus and Rebekah, then Matt and Caroline, then me, then Jeremy and Elena."

It was a routine that they were all aware of, she knew, but a last minute reminder never hurt.

"One second." Katherine said, handing her own flowers to Tyler for a second. Pinning Elena's veil on more securely, she brushed a loose strand of hair away, and ran a quick eye over her. "You make a beautiful bride, Elena." She said softly, before nodding for Bonnie to start the music and allowing Tyler to lead her inside.

"Wasn't that what Mom …?" Jeremy began.

"Yeah." Elena swallowed the lump in her throat, determined not to cry. "I think she was keeping a closer eye on me than she lets on."

"You know it would normally be two people who gave you away." Jeremy told her hesitantly, as Klaus and Rebekah left them.

"I know." Elena admitted. "But I don't have two people."

"You could have asked Matt." Jeremy pointed out, watching the former quarterback offer Caroline his arm.

Elena shook her head. "I'd have found that too weird, Jer; he's my ex. Plus, who would walk Caroline in?" she added, as they were left alone with Bonnie.

"Damon?" Jeremy suggested, brushing a kiss against Bonnie's cheek as she passed.

"I thought about it." Elena admitted. "But I thought he might find it a bit …"

"All you had to do was ask."

Elena started, looking to her left to see Damon leaning against the wall. "Damon! You're the best man, you're supposed to be in there."  
"Stefan knows where I am." Damon assured her. "But you need another escort."

Elena opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Jeremy had gently relieved her of her bouquet.

"Go on." He said quietly. "Ric's here too, but you can't see him. And he says the others are here. Mom and Dad, Jenna, Isobel. I can't see Isobel, but …"

"I know." Elena whispered. "I know they're here." She took Damon's offered arm, taking the bouquet back.

"Ready?" Jeremy asked, as the wedding march started.

Elena nodded, a beaming smile spreading on to her face. "Ready."

* * *

If someone had asked Elena which part of the day she was most nervous about, the answer would have surprised them, unless they happened to know the people involved.

But, as people reached the toying-with-dessert stage of their meal, and Jeremy's 'brother filling in for father-of-the-bride' speech came to a close, she found herself feeling increasingly apprehensive.

She had already cornered Damon three times over the past week, asking him to try and make sure his best man's speech didn't have any 'surprises' mixed in with it, but she still wasn't entirely reassured.

Finally, as Jeremy took his seat again, Damon rose to his feet, commanding everyone's attention with a kind of easy grace.

"As the best man, I'm told it's customary for me to tell embarrassing stories." He began. "As the bride's best friend, I've been warned she has more than enough stories about me to make that a rather stupid thing to do …"  
Matt and Tyler groaned in loud disappointment, sending a wave of chuckles through the marquee.

"But while you enjoy the cake," Damon continued, a glint in his eyes, "which, I can assure you, is delicious, given I was coerced into helping choose it …"

"Let it go, Damon." Katherine muttered in a stage-whisper.

Damon ignored her. "… I do have one or two things to say. I told Elena not long after I first met her that I hadn't seen my brother smile like that in a long time, and I hadn't. Stefan and I have had our disagreements, which I won't air here, but Elena has been wonderful at ignoring those differences and forcing us to confront them. I think I've cursed her more often than I've thanked her, but we both owe her a great deal. For some reason, she's very nervous about this speech, although I can't imagine why …"  
Another wave of laughter passed through the people who knew him.

"… because it's her wedding day, and I wouldn't be that cruel to her." Damon finished, smirking at Elena. "Although I'll warn her this counts as her wedding present."

"I'll take it!" Elena said immediately, provoking more laughter.

"In all seriousness," Damon continued, his smirk softening into a genuine smile, "I couldn't have asked for a better sister-in-law – and since we're being honest, I couldn't ask for a better brother either. I love you both, however nauseating you tend to be when you're together, so congratulations. To Stefan and Elena."

Under the toast, Elena leaned over to hug him, blinking back tears. "Thank you."

Damon kissed her forehead. "Don't get used to it. And I meant what I said about the wedding present."

"No, he doesn't." Katherine refuted.

"It's fine." Elena said to both of them. "Caroline now has it on tape."

Katherine smiled. "Well, that makes it marginally better."

They hadn't planned for many speeches, partly because there weren't many people to make them, mostly because they both knew that people tended to tune out when there were too many (although they were both fairly sure there would be more during the course of the evening), but now Bonnie rose to her feet.

"This is more of an announcement than a speech." She said. "Mainly because Damon – amazingly – said a lot of what I was going to, and I don't want to bore you with repetition."

"And we thank you for it!" Matt put in.

Bonnie just spared him an eye-roll. "But Stefan has made Elena happier than I think I've ever seen her, and I wish them all the best. Now if our happy couple would like to make themselves the centre of attention once more, it's time for the first dance."

Obligingly, Stefan led Elena to the middle of the floor, swinging her round into his arms as the music began to play.

_My love,  
There's only you in my life  
The only thing that's bright_

"He dances." Elena murmured into his neck. "And I didn't even have to beg."

"Hey, it may not be my favourite pastime, but I'm not going to pass up the chance to hold you." Stefan responded, smiling at her. "Besides, it is tradition."

_My first love,  
You're every breath that I take  
You're every step I make_

"Did Elena choose this one?" Damon muttered to Katherine.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

_And I - I want to share  
All my love with you  
No one else will do...  
And your eyes  
Your eyes, your eyes  
They tell me how much you care  
Ooh yes, you will always be  
My endless love_

Bonnie grasped Jeremy's hand under the table. "Alright?"

Jeremy nodded a little stiffly. "Ric says Mom and Jenna are crying."

"That's understandable." Bonnie said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You're about to join them."

"Am not." Jeremy muttered, wiping his eyes surreptitiously.

_Two hearts,  
Two hearts that beat as one  
Our lives have just begun  
Forever  
I'll hold you close in my arms  
I can't resist your charms  
And love - Oh, love  
I'll be a fool For you,  
I'm sure_

"They look good together, don't they?" Rebekah whispered.

"They really do." Klaus agreed absently.

"Never took you for the romantic type." Rebekah teased.

"It's hard to dispute a love like theirs." Klaus retorted. "And people can change, Bekah." He added, his eyes straying to Caroline.

_You know I don't mind  
Oh, you know I don't mind  
'cause you,  
You mean the world to me_

"Well, you'll get your chance, brother." Rebekah murmured with a smirk. "You get to dance with her in a minute. She can hardly make a scene."

"I know." Klaus's brow creased slightly. It seemed like every time Caroline had danced with him was because 'she couldn't make a scene'.

Just once, he wanted it to be her choice.

_Oh I know, I know  
I've found in you  
My endless love_

None of the whispered conversations was very loud, but even if they had been, Stefan and Elena probably wouldn't have noticed them.

They almost seemed to float around the floor, eyes only for each other.

_Oh, and love  
Oh, love  
I'll be that fool  
For you, I'm sure_

A soft kiss brushed Elena's hairline, and she lifted her head with a smile. She knew Stefan wasn't overly comfortable with public displays of affection, probably because when he died he still craved his father's affection and respect, and his father disapproved of them entirely.

Damon had long since given up on gaining either of them, so he had no trouble with the concept, as he and Katherine regularly demonstrated.

But Stefan had always been much more reserved, leaving her pleasantly surprised when he dipped his head to kiss her softly.

_You know I don't mind  
Oh you know I don't mind_

"I love you." She murmured when they parted.

"I love you too." Stefan whispered, spinning her round.

_And, yes  
You'll be the only one  
'cause no one can deny  
This love I have inside  
And I'll give it all to you  
My love, my love, my love  
My endless love_

The music shifted effortlessly into another song, and Katherine kicked Damon's chair. "You ..."

"I'm going, Kitten." Damon said, rolling his eyes. "This is the last thing I have to do, right?"

Katherine sighed. "Yes, this is the last thing you have to do."

"Alright, Sabrina, let's get it over with."

Bonne shook her head, taking his offered hand. "He's such a gentleman."

"I'll have you know, I am a perfect gentleman." Damon retorted, twirling her into a waltz.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Bonnie muttered.

"Look, Bonnie, this is the only time you ever have to be near me this evening." Damon said flippantly. "And at least we knew who we'd end up with on the floor."

"That's true." Bonnie conceded, glancing towards the bridal party.

"I'm surprised Bonnie didn't argue." Caroline murmured.

Matt shrugged, getting to his feet. "I'm not." He moved along the table and extended a hand to Rebekah. "Dance with me?"

Rebekah's face lit up with a surprised smile, and she accepted immediately, following him out on to the floor, her hand resting on his shoulder as his settled on her waist.

"Why me?" She asked quietly. "Katherine's Katherine and Caroline's your ex?"

"Yeah, that too." Matt shrugged. "But mainly because I've come to the conclusion that you're pretty amazing."

"Well, I should have seen that one coming." Caroline murmured, seeing Klaus get to his feet out of the corner of her eye.

Tyler must have seen it too, because he squeezed her arm under the table. "Just remember it's Elena's wedding …"

"I'm not going to …" Caroline began, but her protest died on her lips as Klaus stopped by Katherine's chair and said something to her, too quietly even for them to hear.

If Katherine was startled, she did a good job of hiding it, accepting his invitation with good grace.

"That, I wasn't expecting." Caroline said numbly.

Tyler shrugged. "Looks like it's you and me, Care." He got to his feet and sketched her a small bow. "Miss Forbes?"

Caroline smiled, standing and dipping a small curtsey in return. "Mr Lockwood."

As they joined the others, Caroline pushed her surprise at Klaus's actions to the back of her head. Why would he dance with Katherine?

Had he given up on her?

And why was that thought almost … disappointing?

As the second song came to a close, Bonnie stepped away from Damon, but found his grip just a little too strong. "Damon …"

"Relax." Damon said breezily, spinning her into Jeremy's arms. "Have a little faith for once." He hadn't missed Klaus's actions, and stepped over to them, as the Original released Katherine. "Mind if I cut in?"

"She's all yours." Klaus said, almost absently, his eyes fixed on Caroline, who had surrendered Tyler to Hayley and was moving back towards the table.

Other people were joining them on the dance floor now, and Katherine stepped into Damon's arms, a smile gracing her face.

"Alright?"

Damon smirked at her. "Fine. What was that about?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Katherine admitted. Her eyes travelled over Damon's shoulder to where Elijah was talking to Kol. His attention may have been on his youngest brother, but his eyes hadn't left her since the dance began. "Stay with me?"

"Always." Damon brushed a kiss against her neck, spinning them to see what she was worrying about. "Alright?"

"Fine." Katherine assured him. "Just … not ready to deal with him." She tightened her grip on him. "Don't."

"Don't what?" Damon asked innocently. "You think I'd go and start something with an Original when I could be dancing with you?"

Katherine laughed. "Ever the charmer."

"You know, you don't have to keep dancing with me." Rebekah said softly, a few feet away.

"I want to." Matt said honestly. "Unless you don't …"

"No." Rebekah interrupted hastily. "I do."

Matt grinned at her. "Good. So what was your favourite century?"

"This one." Rebekah answered immediately. "I've never felt more alive than I do now. Although," she added, realising how many ways that could be interpreted, "I did love the fashion in the twenties."

"I would never have guessed." Matt remarked, his voice laden with sarcasm. "Given that you went against Caroline – something most people wouldn't dare do, vampire or not – to change the decade dance."

Rebekah laughed as he spun her, catching sight of her brother moving towards Caroline. Her smile grew a little. Maybe, just maybe, they'd both get what they wanted.

"Caroline."

Caroline looked up sharply, relaxing slightly when she realised it was Klaus. "Hi."

"It doesn't seem like you to sit on the side-lines." He commented.

Caroline's lips twitched in a smile. "Well, at the moment, I seem to lack a dancing partner."

Surprise showed in his eyes for a second, before it smoothed into a charming smile. "Well, allow me to remedy that."

The smile that was threatening her broke on to her face, and Caroline took his hand, finding herself spun into his arms immediately. "I was expecting this earlier." She murmured.

"Well, it seems like every time we've danced you've felt somewhat threatened or obliged to do so." Klaus said quietly, voicing his earlier thoughts. "I wanted it to be your choice."

Caroline sighed quietly, automatically resting her head on his shoulder as the music slowed. Over the last eight months or so, it had become increasingly difficult to remember why she didn't want him. His humanity was more prevalent, when dealing with them, at least, and she found it hard to remember that, when dealing with anyone else, he was probably still the same man she had once hated.

She found it hard to remember that that was a bad thing.

_"Never judge a man by how he treats his friends." _Her father had once told her. _"Judge him by how he treats his enemies."_

Violently, and with no mercy.

Her father would never approve.

Then again, her father hadn't approved of her.

"What are you thinking about, sweetheart?"

Caroline lifted her head. "Oh, nothing. My mind wandered for a moment or two."

"Do you have anything planned for this summer?" Klaus asked.

Caroline smiled. "Well, the Miss Mystic Falls contest got pushed back from February to August this year, and I have to help organise it. And I still need to reply to my college acceptance letter."

"Congratulations." Klaus said. "Which college?"

"Whitmore." Caroline answered, her brow creasing slightly. "It's like my life plan is coming together."

"But …?" Klaus prompted.

"But I'm not alive anymore." Caroline finished softly. "College seems … hasty. Like, if I only had sixty years, then going to college now and taking a risk on a degree I didn't really know what to do with would be worth it, because I wouldn't have time to make my mind up, but …"

"Well, love, you don't have to settle with one degree." Klaus pointed out. "Give it a try, if it's not what you expect, drop out, wait a while, and then try something else."

"How many degrees do you have?" Caroline asked.

Klaus thought for a second. "Eighteen."

"Eighteen?" Caroline repeated. "Wow. What's the strangest thing you've majored in?"

"I'm afraid there's nothing too strange there." Klaus said with a rueful smile. "But I did study medicine after losing a bet with Elijah."

"You were a doctor?" Caroline asked.

Klaus shook his head. "I was qualified as one. Although this was in the 1800s, so I doubt the procedures have remained the same. What about you? What are you planning on majoring in?"

"Public relations and events managing." Caroline answered, a little self-consciously.

Klaus chuckled. "Sounds like a dream come true, sweetheart."

Caroline's smile grew. "What are you doing this summer?"

Klaus didn't answer for a few seconds, his face growing pensive. "Unfortunately, I have need to leave Mystic Falls for a while."  
"Oh." Caroline said quietly, inwardly scolding her stomach for turning over at his words. "Why?"

"Over a century ago, my father forced me to leave my home in New Orleans." Klaus answered. "It was the last time my siblings and I were together peacefully …"

"And when you daggered Kol." Caroline finished. "Rebekah told me the story. You blamed Kol's actions for luring your father there in the first place."

"It was my city, Caroline." Klaus continued, neither confirming nor denying his sister's words. "I ruled it."

"Knowing you, you still do." Caroline said slowly. "So … rebellion?"

Klaus smiled, almost coldly, although she knew that wasn't aimed at her. "Smart girl. There are a few witches plotting against me. I need to … deal with them."

Caroline nodded silently. She knew that meant that the witches would probably end up dead, but she was surprised to realise that the thought didn't bother her.

"I wonder who they're working for." She murmured.

"Sorry, love?"

Caroline blushed slightly. "I was just thinking aloud. If you haven't been in New Orleans for over a century, then it's not like you've done anything that would warrant them rebelling against you, which means it's out of some kind of lust for power. In general, witches aren't that way inclined, ergo there's someone else involved."

"My thoughts exactly." Klaus remarked, smiling at her.

"Well," Caroline said matter-of-factly, "you'll have to keep me up-to-date, or it'll drive me mad. And be careful."

She meant to keep her tone casual, but she could hear the treacherous catch of her voice, the way her words trembled and broke ever so slightly on the last syllable.

And she knew he heart it too.

* * *

They laughed and danced and celebrated late into the night, and, very early the next morning, Stefan stepped through the door of the honeymoon suite in a hotel near the airport.

"I can walk, you know." Elena said lazily, making no attempt to extract herself from his arms.

"I thought I was supposed to carry you over the threshold." Stefan said. "It's bad luck otherwise."

"Of our house, not the hotel suite." Elena giggled. "And it's not bad luck."

"I'm not taking any chances." Stefan told her, lowering her to the floor. "Hi."

"Hi." Elena rested her forehead against his, taking a deep breath. "I can't believe we're here. I'm still waiting for reality to set in."

"All of this is reality." Stefan quoted softly. "Right here."

Elena felt her smile grow as he kissed her softly. It seemed like a lifetime ago he had said those same words, just before their very first kiss.

He was thinking the same thing, she realised when they parted. "No regrets?" He asked softly.

"Just one." Elena admitted, her fingers playing with his collar. "I wish I'd turned on my own time, and with your blood, rather than accidentally."

"Would you have turned?" Stefan asked curiously, no heat in his voice. "You said you never wanted to be a vampire."

"There's a difference between not wanting to be a vampire and not wanting to be with you for eternity." Elena said gently. "I told you after I first turned that I never meant that I wouldn't feel differently one day, and honestly, I would have turned. Living without you was never going to be an option."

"There was a third way." Stefan pointed out, only half paying attention, since he was a little more occupied with the lacing on her bodice.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Yeah, grow old while you didn't. No offence, honey, but I never want to be a situation where I have to keep a straight face and say "It's alright, he's my grandson.""

Stefan's hands stilled and he rested his head on her shoulder with a groan. "Well, that's effectively ruined the mood."  
Elena laughed, rolling her eyes, and turned away from him. "We'll see about that. In the meantime, Mr Salvatore, would you kindly get me out of this dress.

Stefan pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, continuing his work unlacing her corset. "My pleasure, Mrs Salvatore."

Elena made a soft noise as her bodice loosened and he chuckled. "It wasn't that tight."

"It's not that." Elena whispered, turning to face him again. "I'm Mrs Salvatore now."

Stefan caressed her cheek. "Regrets?"

Elena laughed. "Don't be ridiculous. I get to be with you for eternity, Stefan – how could I ever regret that?"

Stefan smiled. "You're crying."

"They're happy tears." Elena assured him, kissing him softly. "How's the mood now?"

"I don't know …" Stefan said, his eyes glinting teasingly. "I think it might need a bit more help."

Smirking, Elena stepped back out of his embrace and pushed gently on the shoulder straps of her gown. Now the lacing had been loosened, it slipped easily from her body, pooling on the floor at her bare feet – she had lost her shoes several hours ago, since they had been chosen for form over function. "Better?"

Stefan's eyes darkened as they swept over his new wife's nearly-naked form, and he stepped forward to take her in his arms again.

With a giggle, she willingly succumbed to his advances, stumbling back towards the large bed that they would never actually get to sleep in.

The next morning, they would fly out to Europe to spend six weeks visiting different countries and experiencing different cultures and doing new things.

There was no doubt the summer would bring new experiences for everyone, some obvious, some not so, but for the moment, the only thing that mattered to Stefan and Elena Salvatore was themselves.

Eternity stretched out ahead of them, with endless possibilities, and they couldn't wait.

* * *

**AN: That's it for Traditions, but stay tuned for the sequel (under construction at the moment), in which Damon and Katherine have to entertain themselves while Stelena are out of the country, and Caroline learns a few concerning things about the events in New Orleans and has a decision to make.**


End file.
